


It's a Toy's World

by jessiejanelightyear



Category: Toy Story Series (Movies)
Genre: Adventure, Disney World & Disneyland, F/M, Family, Romance, WDW
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-17
Updated: 2014-11-20
Packaged: 2017-12-12 03:40:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 40,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/806770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessiejanelightyear/pseuds/jessiejanelightyear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bonnie and her family are going on vacation to Disney World!  Which of the toys will get to come along?  And what magical adventures await them once they get there?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Christmas

The rising sun cast a rosy glow on the newly fallen snow outside, and a soft light started to creep into Bonnie Anderson’s bedroom window.  As soon as the morning’s first rays filled her room, the only-slightly-asleep five-year-old girl sat up and squealed excitedly. 

“It’s Christmas!  Its Christmas morning!  Santa’s been here!”  She jumped out of bed, pushing the toys that had been sleeping with her aside.  “Merry Christmas, toys!” she called back to them as she bolted down the hallway towards her parents’ room. 

Bonnie’s toys began to stir, but remained silent until they were sure the coast was clear.  They knew Christmas morning would be unpredictable and they listened, amused, as she awakened her parents.

“Mom!  Dad!  Wake up!  It’s Christmas!  I wanna open presents!  Come on!  Come on!”  The toys heard Mr. and Mrs. Anderson mumble something tiredly and incoherently to their daughter, and ten seconds later Bonnie’s footsteps could be heard approaching her bedroom.   All the toys turned inanimate and fell back into position just as Bonnie entered the room to quickly grab her robe and slippers that she had forgotten in her haste to wake her parents.   “I’m opening presents now!” she announced, once again disappearing down the hall, this time towards the waiting Christmas tree. 

Knowing that Bonnie would be gone from the bedroom for a while, one by one the toys started to move and gathered together on the floor by the wicker toy basket.   Wishes of “Merry Christmas” were shared amongst them.

“Well, someone’s excited,” Dolly laughed.  

Mr. Potato Head groaned.   “She’s going to be like this all day,” he complained.

“Yeeeeeehaw!  Ain’t it great?”  Jessie jumped onto Buzz in a piggy-back hug, her arms around his neck.  The Space Ranger looked back at his cowgirl and smiled.   

This was Andy’s toys’ second Christmas with Bonnie.  None of the toys were too concerned about what her presents would be.  The Andersons weren’t an extravagant family – their house was small and they didn’t indulge Bonnie with lots of toys.  Instead, for the previous Christmas, the family’s big gift had been a Hawaiian vacation; all that Bonnie had received besides that  were beach outfits, a portable DVD player, and activity books to keep her occupied on the long flight.  And for her birthday, her father had custom-built a dollhouse for her, complete with simple furniture, big enough for even her tallest toys to “live” in comfortably.  The toys had spent the months since in constant debate as to who had the most rights to the dollhouse, and the matter still remained unsettled.  It sat empty for now – although most of the toys were unaware that Buzz and Jessie crept into the dollhouse as many nights as they could to sleep in its miniature double bed.

Even though the toys weren’t worried, they were, of course, still curious.  Lacking the baby monitor used during their spying-on-Andy-and-Molly days, Mr. Potato Head had strategically hidden one eye and one ear in the branches of the Christmas tree the night before so that he could make a full report. 

“She’s opening the first gift!” the spud narrated, holding a hand up to silence the toys that were standing and talking around him. Hushing and shushing noises were made as they quieted down and stared at him in anticipation.

“What is it?” Rex asked nervously.

“I don’t know yet!  I can’t see through paper!  It’s a box, and she’s ripping off the paper now.  It’s...it’s a pink and purple frilly dress,” Mr. Potato Head said in disgust.

“Betcha it’s a Rapunzel dress,” Dolly guessed.  She had been forced by Bonnie to play the role of Mother Gothel a few too many times recently, with Jessie in the role of Rapunzel.

“She’s opening the second gift now, it’s small and flat, it’s a...”

“Tangled DVD!” an ecstatic Bonnie cheered from down the hall.

“Yep, Rapunzel,” Dolly confirmed smugly.

“She’s got another, this one is in a gift bag, it’s... it’s a camera.”

“Guess we all better prepare to be posed for photos now,” Buttercup sighed.

“Looks like there’s one more, and it’s a big one,” Mr. Potato Head reported, as Bonnie pulled a large box, wrapped in Mickey Mouse paper, from under the tree.  Rex whimpered.

In the living room, Bonnie’s parents smirked at each other on the sofa while Bonnie opened this last gift from Santa.  Little did she know that all the other presents she had opened that cheerful  Christmas morning were leading up to this one.  She impulsively pulled off the sparkly ribbon and ripped into the colorful paper.  As she lifted the lid on the box, at first all she could see was crumpled tissue paper.  Then, digging deeper into the box, treasures began to appear.  A Disney World DVD.  Maps from the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom.  A brochure about Disney resorts.  An autograph book and pen with Mickey ears on it.  A Disney World coloring book.   And, at the very bottom, a little folder. 

“It’s a bunch of brochures and books and stuff, and maybe a DVD,” stated Mr. Potato Head.

“What does that mean?” Rex shrieked, wringing his little hands in a panic.

“I don’t know yet!” Mr. Potato Head shouted, while trying to stay focused on what was going on in two rooms at once.  He closed his eye and peered through the other one in the living room as Bonnie carefully pulled the mysterious contents from the box.

“Disney World?” she questioned.  A look of puzzlement clouded her features until she opened the cover of the little folder and saw three plane tickets to Florida.  Bonnie’s eyebrows shot up and her eyes widened as she turned to stare at her parents, who were grinning widely at her.

“Santa got us tickets to Disney World?!?!” Bonnie exclaimed, letting out a shriek.  Her parents gasped in mock surprise and quickly looked over the box’s contents which they had purchased in the last month.

“Huh... it says here we leave tomorrow morning,” her father said quizzically, as if he was studying the tickets for the first time.  With this news Bonnie was even more thrilled.  She leapt up and started jumping up and down, unable to contain her joy.

“We’re going to Disney World tomorrow?” she asked, barely believing it could be possible.

“Yes we are, Bonnie,” said her mother, happily.  She wrapped her daughter in a hug and whispered, “Merry Christmas.” 

Even from down the hall the toys could hear Bonnie’s excitement and couldn’t help smiling at one another.   

“So the family is going to Disney World.  They must be making a winter vacation a tradition, after Hawaii last year,” commented Woody.

“Let’s just hope Ken and Barbie don’t try to tag along this time,” said Slinky.  “We can’t build ‘em Disney World.”  Woody nodded his head.

“The weather in Orlando averages in the 70s in December and January,” Hamm stated matter-of-factly.  “The parks will be crowded this week, but it’ll be better than being here in the snow.”

“Do you think she’ll get to take any toys with her?” asked Trixie.

“I don’t know.  She wasn’t allowed to bring any to Hawaii,” Dolly pointed out.

Before the toys could discuss the possibility of their own vacation any further, they heard Bonnie scurrying back towards her room.  The family had finished opening presents and she had exciting news to share.  In a mad rush, the toys jumped up onto the bed or shelves they had been left on and froze just as Bonnie entered her room again.

“Guess what, toys?  I’m going to Disney World!  Tomorrow!” she squealed as she dropped her gifts on the floor of her room.  Her parents had kept the plane tickets; but before long the maps were unfolded and strewn across the floor.  Bonnie took her portable DVD player off the shelf and began to watch the DVD about the parks, consulting the maps to see where all the different attractions mentioned in the program were located.  She shared everything with her toys – pointing out Frontierland to Woody and Jessie, Tomorrowland to Buzz and the Aliens, and the Dinosaur ride at Animal Kingdom to Rex and Trixie.  The morning was spent daydreaming of all the fun adventures that were soon to come.

“Bonnie, get ready to go to Grandma and Grandpa’s.  We’re leaving in a half hour,” her mother called from her bedroom.”  And don’t put on the Rapunzel dress, save it for Disney World,” she added. 

Bonnie exhaled a loud, exasperated sigh.  “Okay.”

Reluctantly Bonnie turned off the DVD player and started to get dressed in a Christmas sweatshirt, leggings, her favorite tutu, and furry snow boots.  She looked over her stash of presents and grabbed her new camera and coloring book before heading for the door. 

“See you later, toys.  I’ll have a lot of packing to do when we get home!”

The toys could hear Bonnie and her parents gathering their extended family’s presents from under the tree and putting on their coats, in preparation to leave for Bonnie’s grandparents’ house across town.  The trio was discussing plans for their trip as they headed out the door.

“Mom, can I bring some of my toys to Disney World?”

“I guess that’s okay.  But you can only bring what will fit in your carry-on bag, so choose carefully.”

With that the family was out the door and Bonnie’s room burst into a whirl of excitement. 

“I’m firing up the computer!” declared Trixie.  “Forget this DVD, I wanna find a video of the Dinosaur ride on YouTube!”  She raced out of the bedroom, and after a brief search had found what she was looking for.  “Yes!  Hey, Rex!  Come check this out!”

“Will some of us really get to go to Disney World, Woody?” Jessie asked hopefully, holding tight to Buzz’s hand and squeezing it even tighter in her eagerness.

“It appears that way,” answered Woody.  “But there’s no way to tell which of us it will be, or how many of us will even get to go.  So it’s best we don’t get our hopes up too high yet.”

A scream came from down the hall.  “NOOOOOOO!  I’m not going!  You can’t make me!  Those dinosaurs are REAL!”

“Guess Rex wasn’t impressed by the Dinosaur ride,” Hamm chuckled.

“We have to take into consideration the other things Bonnie might want to bring with her,” Buzz reasoned.  He knew how likely Jessie was to get her heart set on something and how devastated she’d be if she wasn’t chosen to go.  He wanted to lessen the blow, just in case.  “She might want to take her DVD player to watch movies on the plane, or books and crayons to pass the time.  It will all depend on how much room is left in her carry-on bag.”

“I figure those of us who are soft toys have the best chance.  We can be squashed to fit,” added Dolly.

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Mr. Potato Head grumbled.  “That place looks like way too much happiness for me.”

“You wouldn’t even want to go for your boys?” his wife questioned, as the three Aliens picked up the map of the Magic Kingdom.

“Space Mounnntainnn,” they read in unison.

The toys went on like this for the remainder of the afternoon, each stating their reasons why they should – or in Rex’s and Mr. Potato Head’s cases, why they should not – be chosen to go to Disney World.  They studied the maps, watched the DVD, and browsed the internet for more videos of the rides and resorts. All the while, their anticipation was building for Bonnie’s decision. 

Finally Buzz and Jessie got their turn to sit down together and peruse the maps, with Bullseye peeking over their shoulders.   “Buzz!” the cowgirl cried out, pointing feverishly at the map she had just picked up.  “How come nobody noticed before?  You have a ride at the Magic Kingdom!  There’s a Buzz Lightyear of Star Command ride!” 

“Really?” The usually calm Space Ranger yanked the map from his girlfriend’s hands so he could get a better look. 

Jessie stood.  “I’ll have Trixie find it on the computer,” she suggested, as Buzz continued to survey the maps.  “Nobody’s been able to pry her off’a there all day!”

While Jessie went to make her request to Trixie, Buzz grabbed the brochure about the different resorts and started flipping through it.   _This really is a fascinating place_ , he thought, no _wonder Jessie and the others want to go there so badly_.  As he waited for his cowgirl to return from the kitchen – where she wasn’t having any success getting Trixie to turn off the video tour of Disney Quest – he read the brochure from cover to cover, and one thing in particular caught his eye and his imagination.  What if he and Jessie were in fact the ones to be chosen to go to Disney World?  Would it be possible?  No, he was the practical one, she was the dreamer.  They would just have a nice week at home together, free to do whatever they pleased while the family was away, and he would be perfectly happy with that.   

With sunset and shadows descending upon the room, the toys knew that the Andersons would be coming home soon.  Their flight was to leave early the following morning, and Bonnie hadn’t packed a single thing.  Trixie logged off the computer, and the brochures  and DVD player were restored to where Bonnie had left them.  Moments later they heard the family’s car pull into the driveway and they became inanimate just as Bonnie and her mother entered the bedroom.

“Get your suitcase out of the closet and bring me the clothes you want to take,” Mrs. Anderson instructed her daughter.  “Don’t forget your Rapunzel dress,” she added with a smile, as Bonnie raced around her room and sifted through her closet and dresser drawers.  In no time, Bonnie’s wheeled suitcase was sitting ready to go by the doorway and the little girl was changed into her nightgown.

“Here’s your carry-on bag.”  She handed Bonnie a canvas tote bag.  “It’s up to you what you want to have with you on the plane.  It’ll be a three-hour flight.  Pack it before you go to bed. ” 

Mr. Anderson peeked in the door to check on their progress.  With a hug and a kiss both parents bade their daughter goodnight.  “Sweet dreams, Disney girl! See you bright and early!”    

Bonnie had been thinking all day about what she wanted to bring on her trip.  She quickly found her portable DVD player and placed it in the bag along with her Tangled DVD.  Her camera was next, followed by her park maps, her Disney World coloring book and a box of crayons, and her autograph book and pen.  

The little girl glanced at her scattered toys and paused before making her final decision. “I’m really sorry I can’t take all of you,” she said regretfully.  “I promise I’ll take lots of pictures and tell you all about it when I get back.”   She walked around her room, tucking some toys into bed and setting others in their usual spot on the shelf.  Except for the lucky ones who would get to go – those were carefully placed in the canvas carry-on bag.

That night, five very happy toys didn’t get much sleep.  As they lay awake, their minds racing, they could barely imagine the adventures that were waiting for them. 


	2. Plans

“Ow! Get your spur outta my face, cowboy!”

“Sorry,” Woody muttered. He stood as tall as he could in the zipped-closed tote hanging from Mr. Anderson’s shoulder, in an attempt to peek through the tiny gap at the end of the zipper. The toys had been crammed in Bonnie’s carry-on bag ever since their plane landed an hour ago, and they were growing impatient. Her mother had insisted that the bag stay securely closed until they arrived at their resort so that nothing would go missing, which had created extremely tight quarters for the five toys inside. Especially for Dolly, who unfortunately was at the very bottom. 

“Can ya see anything, Woody?” questioned Jessie, barely able to contain her excitement. All the toys knew for sure was that they had ridden a Disney bus from the airport to their resort and they were now on their way to check into their room. 

“Only a tall white hotel building,” Woody replied in a whisper. “Very modern-looking. Wait – we’re going inside.”

The Anderson family exited the elevator and rushed happily down the hallway to their suite at the Contemporary Resort, with Bonnie leading the way. Their luggage would be delivered to the room later, but they wanted to drop off their carry-on bags before heading out to explore the parks. 

“We’re in room 2356,” called out her mother cheerfully. “Pay attention to the numbers.”

In no time Bonnie had found their room, and her parents had set down the family’s two canvas tote bags and folder of check-in materials that they had been given at the front desk. 

The young girl quickly set out exploring her surroundings. The suite was large and bright, full of sleek contemporary furniture and colorful Disney-inspired modern art. There was a small kitchen, a dining area, a bathroom, and a living room with a wide picture window facing the adjacent Magic Kingdom. Bonnie would be sleeping on the pullout sofa bed in the living room, while her parents would share the adjoining master bedroom and bath. Both rooms had access to the suite’s balcony. 

Bonnie ran to the large window and a squealed in delight. “I can see Space Mountain from here!” she exclaimed as she jumped up and down excitedly. “Can we go there now? Please? Please?”

“I don’t see why not,” her father answered, glancing up from the brochure he was reviewing and smiling at his daughter’s enthusiasm. “Looks like the Magic Kingdom is open until eight o’clock tonight, and we can stay for the fireworks at closing. Grab your camera and autograph book.”

Mrs. Anderson pulled a small drawstring backpack out of her carry-on bag, while Bonnie retrieved the book and camera from her tote, leaving it unzipped. The family gathered up the things they would need for the rest of the day, including their room key cards, and headed out the door.

With the shutting of the hotel room door, the toys immediately came to life, relieved to finally be free of their cramped quarters. Woody grabbed onto the edge of the tote and hoisted himself up and out onto the floor, where the bags had been left leaning against the sofa. He let out a whistle as he looked around.

“Will you take a look at this place?!” Woody exclaimed, impressed by his surroundings. 

“Yeeeeehawwwww!” cheered Jessie, as she hopped out of the tote. “Can you believe it? We’re actually at Disney World!” She raced towards the window, eager to see the view from their room.

Dolly was the next to emerge, the diminutive rag doll receiving a boost from Buzz to help her out. The Space Ranger quickly followed her, exiting the bag with a skillful leap.

“A toy could get used to this,” Dolly commented, observing the large flat screen TV hanging on the wall. “Not a bad place to spend the week.” 

The bag wobbled as the last vacationing toy jumped out. Bullseye galloped around the room excitedly, scooping up an unsuspecting Woody onto his back.

“Whoa boy! Whoaaaa!” The cowboy doll held on tightly as the toy horse bucked and bounced happily and Dolly laughed at their antics. 

In the midst of all the commotion, Buzz had made his way towards the picture window where Jessie was standing. She was looking out in awe at the nearby Magic Kingdom with her nose and tiny hands pressed against the glass. He climbed up onto the windowsill alongside his cowgirl and couldn’t help but smile at the childlike expression on her face, her wide green eyes shining brightly as they took in the sight in front of her.

“Look how close we are! You can almost reach out an’ touch it! I wanna go, Buzz, please? Pleeease?!” Jessie was hopeful that her pleading, puppy-dog eyes would have their usual effect on the space toy. 

“You’re as bad as the five-year-old,” Woody teased his little sister as he walked up to them. She turned her gaze away from the window and stuck her tongue out at him. 

“It might be possible,” Buzz postulated thoughtfully, as he surveyed the layout of the hotel’s parking lot in relation to the theme park and considered the logistics. “The distance does look manageable. If we waited until the family was asleep, and the park was closed – “

“Wait, wait, wait!” interrupted Woody, his hands in the air in front of him. “Are you serious, Buzz? You can’t go to the parks, they’re huge. It’s too risky. What if you didn’t make it back here in time?”

“Come on, Woody,” Jessie begged. “When are we ever gonna have another chance like this?” 

Buzz scanned the room to see where the family had left their check-in packet. Spotting it on the dining area’s table, he jumped down, walked over to the banquette bench, and scaled it easily. Inside the colorful folder, he found what he had been looking for: a map of the resort. 

The Space Ranger studied the map carefully. “The resort we’re staying at is called the Contemporary,” Buzz reported to the other toys from his perch at the table. “You can get to the Magic Kingdom by Monorail or a walking path that follows underneath the Monorail tracks. It can’t be more than a half mile away. In fact, the Monorail connects this resort with two others, as well as Epcot.” 

“Epcot! exclaimed Jessie. “So if we followed the tracks we could find Epcot too?” She hurried over to Buzz and quickly joined him on the bench, peering over his shoulder at the map.

“Hold on a minute!” Woody shouted up at the couple. “Nobody’s going anywhere. We’re all going to stay put here at the hotel and have a perfectly relaxing vacation.”

“It’s not gonna be relaxin’ at all if I’m cooped up in here with YOU, spoilin’ all our fun!” Jessie snapped at her brother. They stared at each other, scowling, as Buzz held onto his girlfriend’s shoulder, keeping her from lunging at Woody in her anger.

“It’s okay, Jessie,” soothed Buzz, before turning to his friend on the floor and pleading his case. “Woody, we’ve traveled farther than this before, and in one night. You know that. We can handle this. Trust me.”

Woody persisted in his opposition to the plan. “Nope, it’s a bad idea,” he argued stubbornly, folding his arms across his chest. 

Dolly stepped over to try to help diffuse the escalating conflict. “Live a little, Potsie,” she calmly interjected. “We’re on vacation! Let’s enjoy it. We can all go together, and you can keep us out of trouble.” 

Before Woody could reply, the toys heard voices in the hallway and the clicking of the doorknob opening. They froze in their spots, panicked. Was the family back early? That didn’t sound like the Andersons’ voices. There was no time to consider getting back into the tote bag as the door began to open. The toys dropped inanimate in their places and hoped for the best. 

When the owners of the unfamiliar voices entered the room, the toys were relieved to see that it was only the resort’s bellhops, who were delivering the luggage that belonged to the families who had arrived by bus earlier that day. The two men wasted no time carrying in the family’s three suitcases and depositing them on the living room floor. Within a matter of minutes they had gone, and the toys returned to life.

Buzz slipped the resort map back into its pocket and closed the folder before he and Jessie slowly slid off of the banquette bench and onto the floor. The couple knew they were adults and they could sneak out to the parks just the two of them, without Woody’s permission. But then they would have to deal with the headstrong cowboy’s resentment for the remainder of their vacation, and they weren’t certain that was a consequence they wanted to face. 

Woody looked at the dejected faces around him and sighed. He really didn’t want to see his friends’ hopes crushed. And he was well aware that he was outnumbered and that it would be a long, unpleasant week if he refused to even consider exploring the parks. 

“Alright, alright,” he finally gave in. “We can all go, so I can keep an eye on you. But I’m only agreeing to the Magic Kingdom. And only for tonight.” 

“Wooohooo!” cheered Jessie. “Thanks, Woody!” She flew at her brother and squeezed him in a tight hug.

“Just don’t make me regret this,” replied the half-strangled cowboy.

Buzz immediately started planning their strategy for the evening. He retrieved Bonnie’s park maps from the carry-on bag, pulled the map of the Magic Kingdom from the stack, and spread it out on the floor in front of him.

“The park is laid out like the spokes on a wheel,” he directed, pointing at the illustrations on the map. “We enter on Main Street and follow it to the Castle in the center. I think our best approach would be to start to the left in Adventureland, then work our way around through the other lands.”

“The family’s stayin’ for the fireworks, I heard ‘em say that,” Jessie added. “So if we watch for those, we’ll know when they’re on their way back. Soon as they fall asleep, we can go.” 

“But how are we going to get out of the room?” queried Dolly. “We’re two floors up.”

“We can’t take the hallway and elevator,” Woody advised. He had been able to catch a glimpse of the path they had taken to the room from his vantage point at the top of the bag. “There’s no place to hide if anybody walks by.”

“The balcony,” Buzz suggested, thinking out loud. He strode over to the door and pushed aside the blinds to see if it was feasible. “If we can find some sort of rope to secure to the railing, we can climb down and back up again unnoticed.”

The toys took off on a scavenger hunt through the suite, searching in kitchen cabinets, closets, and dresser drawers. Finally Jessie came racing from the master bathroom.

“Will this work?” She handed Buzz a compact hair dryer that she had found in the bathroom vanity drawer, its long electrical cord wrapped up tightly. 

Buzz unwound the cord and examined its length. “Yeah, I think it will. Nice work, Jess,” he said, smiling at her proudly. Jessie beamed, pleased that she had impressed the Space Ranger with her tactical cleverness. 

“Let’s hide it behind the curtain, in the corner here,” suggested Woody, pulling aside the floor-length draperies next to the balcony door. Buzz carefully rewrapped the cord around the dryer and stashed it where Woody recommended.

“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m pretty tired,” Dolly admitted, as Bullseye nodded in agreement and flopped down onto the floor, demonstrating his exhaustion. “It’s only two o’clock. Why don’t we all take a nap so we’re rested up for tonight?” She weighed her furniture options and chose one of the chairs next to the window. With a little effort she ascended the front of the chair and curled up against the throw pillow that was on it. 

“Sounds good to me,” Woody agreed as he climbed up on the sofa and called to Bullseye. “C’mere boy!” The toy horse gladly leapt up and settled into the corner. Woody reclined against Bullseye, stretched his legs out, and tilted his hat forward to cover his face.

Jessie glanced at Buzz mischievously and reached for his hand. “Since nobody’s usin’ it and all, we’ll just nap in the bedroom,” she stated, attempting to sound as nonchalant as possible.

“Sure you will,” chuckled Woody under his breath. 

Buzz and Jessie walked into the master bedroom, fingers entwined, leaving the door open behind them. They didn’t dare close the door and take the risk of not hearing the family come back from the park and getting caught in a room they hadn’t been left in. They talked together as they headed towards the king-sized bed that looked like an island to the two small toys.

“I can’t believe we’re really here,” Jessie admitted, as they shimmied up the edge of the comforter that was hanging down the side of the bed.

“It does seem kind of unreal,” agreed Buzz. “I’m just relieved Bonnie chose to bring both of us.” They made their way towards the center and its mountain of fluffy, white pillows. 

“Look at the size’a this bed!” she exclaimed, flopping down and leaning back against the pillows. Jessie slid her hands across the smooth linens and looked at Buzz with a glint in her eyes. “It’d be an awful shame to let it go to waste.” She took off her hat, set it down on the bed, and winked at her spaceman playfully. 

“Heh, heh, nice try cowgirl,” Buzz replied with a crooked smile as he stretched out beside her. “But that door is wide open. You know we can’t shut it.”

“I know,” sighed Jessie as she laid down, resting her head on Buzz’s shoulder and snuggling into the crook of his arm. “I don’t reckon we’ll get any time alone while we’re here.”

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Probably not. But I’ll make it up to you when we get home.” 

“Promise?” asked Jessie, tracing the buttons on his chest plate with her fingers, and looking up at him longingly.

“Promise,” whispered Buzz, as he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. Jessie responded by deepening the kiss, forgetting for a moment where they were. “Mmmmmmmm,” she purred.

“You know, I can hear you two,” hollered Woody from the next room. The smirk on his face was evident in the sound of his voice. He took endless pleasure in teasing his best friend and sister, and Dolly was a willing accomplice. 

The two toys pulled apart, and Jessie rolled her eyes in aggravation. 

“Go to sleep, Woody!” Buzz shouted back at the cowboy. The couple could hear Woody and Dolly giggle. 

If there was one thing Buzz and Jessie had learned, spending their days surrounded by such a large toy family, it was that sometimes privacy was a lost cause. They shared a knowing glance and one more innocent kiss before they drifted off to sleep. 

The toys slept peacefully for hours, until they were startled from their slumber by a muffled boom. Jessie sat bolt upright on the bed at the sound of the second boom.

“Fireworks!” she called out excitedly. “Wake up, Buzz, it’s the fireworks!” She shook his arm until he roused. 

The Space Ranger sat up groggily as Jessie grabbed her hat, plopped it onto her head, and leapt off the bed in one swift motion. She ran to the bedroom’s large window and pulled open the curtains to reveal a heavy sliding glass door leading out onto the balcony. 

“Blast!” she cursed, looking up at the door handle. “We can’t get that open fast enough to watch ‘em outside. C’mon Buzz!” Jessie sprinted out of the bedroom and into the living room, with the still-waking-up space toy following a few steps behind.

Woody, Bullseye, and Dolly were awakening as well when Jessie raced into the room. She made a beeline for the balcony door and gracefully bounded upward to grasp the door handle, clicking the latch to unlock it and opening the door with a tug. The cowgirl dropped down onto the concrete floor of the balcony and wasted no time in pushing the little outdoor table closer to the edge. She climbed on top of it and stretched on tiptoes trying to achieve an unobstructed view through the balcony’s sturdy railing. 

Buzz jumped up beside her. “Here,” he offered, stooping down and holding out his hand. He raised the cowgirl doll up onto his shoulders so that she had a better line of sight and held tight to her knees to keep her steady. Woody, Dolly, and Bullseye joined them on the balcony, hopping up on the patio chairs just in time to see the grand finale illuminate the night sky in an explosion of color and light. The five toys watched the show together, completely enthralled by the brilliant display. 

“I have to admit, that was impressive,” Woody confessed, his opposition to the upcoming park visit lessening slightly. “But the family will be back any minute now. Places, everyone.”

The toys exited the balcony and closed the door, careful not to lock it. They clambered back into the bag and resumed the same positions they had been left in by Bonnie.

No more than thirty minutes after the fireworks’ conclusion, a very tired Anderson family shuffled into their suite. Bonnie lay fast asleep in her father’s arms, slumped over his shoulder, her limbs hanging loosely. They all were exhausted from a busy morning of traveling and an afternoon and evening in the park. As quickly and as quietly as possible, Mrs. Anderson lifted the cushions off of the sofa bed and pulled it open. Gently her husband laid their daughter on the full-size bed, and before long the little girl was dressed in a princess nightgown and tucked into the covers without ever waking. Bonnie’s parents retreated to their bedroom, pulling their two suitcases behind them. From inside the tote, the toys listened to the rustling sounds and hushed voices coming from the adjacent room, and in no more than ten minutes, the bedroom light was turned off and the door shut.

Silently and stealthily, the toys put their plan into action. Woody retrieved the blow dryer from its hiding place behind the curtain while Jessie cautiously opened the door leading outside. As they congregated on the balcony, Woody unwound the dryer’s electrical cord and handed it to Buzz. The Space Ranger expertly tied it to the metal railing in a secure knot, using the bulky dryer as an anchor and tossing the plug end over the edge towards the ground two floors below. Being the only toy who couldn’t utilize the cord, Bullseye squeezed himself in between the widest part of the railing, wagged his tail as he sized up the distance to the grassy lawn below, and dove from the balcony, landing unharmed. Woody was first to hoist himself up over the edge and slide down, followed by Dolly, Jessie, and then Buzz, going last to ensure everyone made it safely. 

The toys’ getaway was a success. And if any of the hotel guests had bothered to look out their window late that December night, they might have spotted five small figures disappearing into the darkness, on their way to explore the Magic Kingdom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a few notes on the resort that I have them staying at… the room I envision is a one-bedroom villa at the Contemporary Resort’s Bay Lake Tower. I put them there because it’s a very short walk to the Magic Kingdom, and also because I've stayed there on several WDW vacations, in this same type of room, so it’s clear in my mind. You can see a 360° view and floor plan at http://disneyvacationclub. disney. go. com /destinations /resorts /bay-lake-tower/


	3. Magic Kingdom

Under the cover of night, Bonnie’s toys hurried along the dimly-lit path between the Contemporary Resort and the Magic Kingdom.  It was bright enough to see where they were going, but not so bright as to give them away.  Nevertheless, they chose to keep hidden in the bushes that lined the pathway as much as possible, shielding themselves from being noticed by the few straggler tourists who were making their way back to the resort after park closing.   Buzz led the way, signaling to the others when it was safe to move forward and when they needed to duck for cover.  Woody followed last, to make sure everyone was accounted for.

After nearly twenty minutes of traveling, the entrance gates came into view.  Before moving forward, Buzz first scanned their surroundings and confirmed that the coast was clear, then he gestured for the group to move out of the shadows.  They ventured from the security of the shrubbery and raced along the side of the buildings adjacent to the ticket turnstiles.  Confident that there were no humans to be found anywhere around them, the toys finally felt comfortable enough to walk out into the open.  They passed easily beneath the arms of the turnstiles and looked up to see, at long last, the actual entrance to the Magic Kingdom.

The toys’ first glimpse of the park was its brick railroad station, edged in tiny white lights, towering high above their heads.  Buzz recalled the map he had studied only hours earlier and remembered that there were walkways under the train tracks to the left and right that would lead them onto Main Street.

“This way,” he pointed to guide his friends and they eagerly followed, trusting the Space Ranger’s sense of direction. 

Woody noticed a circular brass plaque hanging above them as they traveled under the archway.  “Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy,” the cowboy read to himself.  He barely had time to contemplate its meaning, because in a moment they had exited the passageway beneath the tracks and arrived in a fantastic new world. 

Main Street, USA stretched out in front of the toys, a fantasy of ornate turn-of-the-twentieth-century Victorian-style buildings outlined in the same twinkling white lights as the train station.  As if the scene wasn’t beautiful enough, holiday decorations accented with colorful lights and ornaments embellished it even further.  A lofty Christmas tree sat in the Town Square and greenery garlands hung across Main Street, bridging the distance between the buildings and creating a festive canopy.  And then, at the end of the street, there was the castle, Cinderella’s Castle, its turrets reaching high into the starry sky and dripping in glittering icicle lights, like a fairytale come to life.  The whole scene was utterly breathtaking to the five small toys, none of whom had ever seen anything like it in their relatively sheltered lives.     

Jessie linked her arm through Buzz’s and clung to him as she took it all in.  The usually-exuberant cowgirl stood still and silent, completely awestruck by the sight before her.    

“Sweet mother of Abraham Lincoln,” she whispered in wonderment.  “It’s beautiful, ain’t it?”

Buzz smiled, half looking at the streetscape, half looking at the cowgirl by his side, her radiant face reflecting the glow of the brilliant lights.

“It sure is,” he replied. 

“Wow,” said Woody, astounded.   “I knew this place was going to be big, but I wasn’t expecting all this.”     

“It really is magical,” Dolly agreed, while Bullseye expressed his excitement by running circles around the others.

They had just begun to make their way down Main Street when they heard noise coming from the Emporium to their left. 

“Quick, over here,” Woody directed, as the shocked toys ducked behind a trash can and waited to see what the source of the noise would be.   The store’s door opened slowly to reveal a foot-tall stuffed Mickey Mouse pushing it. 

Bonnie’s toys looked at each other in astonishment.  They had expected to be alone at the park – but, of course!  Why wouldn’t the Disney World toys come to life as well? 

Gradually, a whole family of souvenir toys exited the shop.  Mickey and Minnie toys strolled together hand in hand.  A large plush Goofy stumbled clumsily, crashing into a smaller plush Donald and resulting in one of the duck’s characteristic temper tantrums.  Princess dolls walked out onto the sidewalks, some singing and dancing with their respective prince dolls, others comparing their ballgowns and hairstyles.     

Realizing it was safe, Bonnie’s toys emerged from behind the garbage can.  The same Mickey who had opened the Emporium door spotted them immediately and hurried over to greet them.

“Oh, boy!”  Mickey exclaimed as they met in the middle of Main Street.  “We hardly ever have toy visitors here.  Welcome to Walt Disney World!”

“Hey howdy hey!”  Woody extended his hand to the toy mouse and Mickey shook it heartily.  “Name’s Woody.  Our kid is here on vacation for the week.  We walked over from the Contemporary Resort.”

“Pleased to meet you, Woody,” Mickey responded warmly. 

“Buzz Lightyear, at your service,” Buzz saluted.   Mickey reached out to shake his hand as well.

“Golly, a real Buzz Lightyear toy!  We sure are glad to have you here, sir.  You won’t want to miss your ride.”

Buzz nodded in appreciation.  “Thank you, I certainly plan on seeing it.  And this is my girlfriend, Jessie.”  He softly placed a hand on the small of Jessie’s back and guided her forward in introduction.

 “Well, howdy!  Glad to meetcha!”  said Jessie, shaking the mouse’s hand enthusiastically.  At that moment, Bullseye gleefully bounded forward and licked Mickey on the cheek, who laughed merrily at the toy horse’s greeting.  “And that’s Bullseye,” the cowgirl added with a giggle.   

“Last but not least, I’m Dolly.”  The rag doll came forward to meet the famous mouse. 

“Nice to meet you, Dolly,” Mickey replied kindly.  “Gosh, I’m happy to meet all of you.  I’m Mickey, of course, but I’m afraid I have far too many friends here to introduce them all to you myself.  I hope you’ll get acquainted while you’re here and make yourselves at home.  What do you folks have planned?”

“We want to see as much of the Magic Kingdom as possible,” Buzz stated.  “We were thinking of starting in Adventureland and working our way around through the other lands.  What course of action do you suggest?”

“That sounds like a swell plan,” Mickey responded in approval.  “Oh, and don’t worry about the night maintenance workers.  They’re used to having us around.”    

‘”You toys show yourselves alive to humans?” Woody questioned, shocked.

“Sure,” said Mickey with a smile.  “This is a magical place, after all.  They don’t think anything of it.”

“We appreciate your hospitality,” Woody replied sincerely, and Bonnie’s other toys nodded in agreement.  “I hope we’ll see you again while we’re here.”

“Have fun!”  Mickey encouraged.  “See ya real soon!” 

 “What are we waitin’ for?  Let’s go!”  Jessie squealed with excitement.  She grabbed Buzz by the hand and took off running down Main Street towards the castle. 

“Whoa!” the spaceman cried out in surprise, caught off guard by the sudden motion.  He quickly regained his balance and kept pace with his cowgirl.   

“Wait for us!” yelled Dolly, and she, Woody, and Bullseye raced to catch up to the couple.  The toys met at the statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse, in the central hub in front of the castle. 

“Which way do we go?” Woody asked, while Dolly stood behind him, hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath after their run.

“It should be over there,” said Buzz, pointing in the direction where he estimated Adventureland would be.  “Let’s move out!” 

The toys followed the sidewalk path that the Space Ranger suggested and soon found themselves crossing a rustic-looking wooden bridge with a sign reading “ADVENTURELAND” across the top. 

“This is it!” Jessie exclaimed happily to her friends as they rounded a slight turn into the first land.  “Oooh, a treehouse!  C’mon guys!”

“I’ll wait here, I’m not doing those stairs,” shouted Dolly after the others as they started up the long climb to the top of the Swiss Family Treehouse.  Following Jessie’s pace, they were back down in only few minutes.    Buzz was used to keeping up with her, but the rest of the toys were not. 

“Slow down, Jessie!” her brother called out, winded.  “We’ve got all night!” 

“What’s next?” the cowgirl queried, scanning the tropical-themed surroundings for the next attraction to explore.  “Flying carpets!  Over there!  Let’s go!”

The group walked over to the Magic Carpets of Aladdin and noticed there was an Aladdin doll working the controls as other toys went round and round and up and down on the ride.  He spotted Bonnie’s toys standing and watching, then flipped some switches on the panel and the ride began to slow in its spinning and the carpets lowered. 

“Hey, do you want to ride?” he asked them.  He gestured to the queue and the entrance gate.

The toys hurried to the gate and chose a carpet to share.  Buzz and Jessie took the front seat and the other three sat together in the row behind them.  As the ride slowly started to rotate, building in momentum, Jessie noticed a knob in front of her.

“Wonder what this does?” she queried, as she pulled it and suddenly the carpet began to rise higher and higher.  She looked at Buzz and grinned, thrilled at her discovery.  She pushed it in the opposite direction, and the carpet descended. 

“There’s one back here too,” said Dolly, as she perched herself on the edge of the seat and reached for the knob.  This time, the carpet tilted forward and back.  The two girls kept the flying carpet in a never-ending motion of up and down, back and forth, as it continued to spin.     

Soon the ride began to slow down, and all the carpets rose together before lowering to the ground.  The toys exited their car and Woody staggered.

“Does anybody else feel like they’re still spinning?” he asked his friends.

Nearby they spotted the sign for the Enchanted Tiki Room.  Deciding it was best for Woody to have a little break before trying another ride, the toys headed for the show.  They entered the Polynesian structure, chose a wooden bench to share, and were delighted and surprised when the birds perched above them came to life. 

José the parrot awakened and stretched.  “My siestas are getting shorter and shorter,” he commented.  The colorful bird welcomed the toys below and began to wake his friends.  “Hey Michael, mi amigo, pay attention, it's show time.”

The tropical birds put on a fantastic show for the toys in the audience.   The tiki statues on the wall behind them came to life and sang as well.  By the time it was over, Woody was feeling more like himself again.

“Just like Hey-way-eye, right Buzz?” the cowboy teased his friend.  Buzz shook his head and sighed. 

“Real funny, Woody,” he replied sarcastically.

Just across from the Tiki Room, the toys discovered the Jungle Cruise.  They made their way to the loading dock and boarded a boat that was being captained by a plush Mickey Mouse in safari clothes.

“Welcome aboard!” he greeted them, as they sat down on a bench along the edge of the boat. 

Safari Mickey waited for a few more toys to board and then began their journey into the jungle.  The audio-animatronic animals on the banks of the river came to life and entertained the toy passengers with bad jokes and silly antics.  More than once Jessie stood up on her seat and leaned over the edge of the boat’s rail, trying to get a better look at some of the “critters” on the other side.  Buzz instinctively reached out and grabbed her by her belt loop, keeping the cowgirl from tumbling into the murky water. 

About halfway through the ride, the boat came upon a pitch-black tunnel that was supposed to be the ruins of an ancient temple.  Jessie gasped, uncomfortable in the total darkness, until she saw the reassuring glow of Buzz’s suit.  The Space Ranger gently rested a hand on her knee, reminding her that he was there beside her, and the cowgirl felt more at ease.

Before long they emerged back out into the open and their cruise came to an end.  They thanked Safari Mickey as they carefully climbed out of the boat, and went to find the next adventure.    

“Who would have ever thought we’d see the backside of water?” Dolly remarked as they walked along, recalling their ride behind a waterfall.  The toys laughed.      

Suddenly an imposing Spanish-style structure came into view. 

“El Castillo – Torre del Sol,” Buzz commented matter-of-factly, in a thick Spanish accent.  A naughty grin spread across Jessie’s face as she threw the Space Ranger a sultry glance.  She contemplated the two of them exploring the Spanish architecture in private until she realized what the building was for.     

“I know what this is – Pirates of the Caribbean!” Jessie squealed, noticing the sign high above them.

“Hey Buzz, remember Andy’s pirate phase?” Woody asked.  “He used to try to tie my bandana around your head and make me wear an eye patch.”  The two friends chuckled at the memory. 

The toys entered the building and the elaborate fortress-like queue it contained.  They followed the stone pathways past cannons and dungeon cells until they came to the loading area for the boats.  Bonnie’s five toys shared a single bench seat as other toys filed in behind them.   A Jack Sparrow action figure stood at the ride’s controls – and the passengers weren’t quite sure if they could trust him as he waved them on with a swagger. 

The boat cruised forward past skeletal pirate ghosts until it stopped at a panel of mist, where an ominous face appeared to the passengers on board.  Then, without warning, the boat plummeted down a waterfall, splashing into the water below.  Jessie squealed in delight as Woody simultaneously grabbed his hat and his stomach.

The toys found themselves in the midst of an exciting pirate battle, cannons firing between a ship and a fortress and exploding in the water around them.  The audio-animatronic figures put on their regular show for the guests, yet still managed to steal a wink or a wave at the toy passengers as they rode by.    They watched pirates pillage towns and engulf them in flames, all to the tune of the ride’s catchy song.

“Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me!”  Jessie sung giddily, as the toys exited the ride and found themselves in a pirate-themed gift shop.   She pulled a toy sword from a basket and swung it around. 

“You did not warn me about the drop in there,” Woody chided his friends. 

“Maybe if you’d paid more attention to Bonnie’s DVD you would have known,” Dolly kidded.

“Lighten up, cowboy, I think you’ll like what’s next,” Buzz said as he shook his friend by the shoulder good-naturedly.  Jessie put back the sword and they left the shop, then walked around to the entrance of the next land.     

As Woody rounded the corner into Frontierland, his eyes grew wide in amazement and his mouth gaped open before stretching into a broad grin.  Any reservations he had held regarding their visit to the Magic Kingdom melted away as the Old West streetscape extended in front of him and he found himself standing in the world he had been manufactured for.  Jessie and Bullseye came up to join him, also very much impressed.

“It’s just like _Woody’s Roundup_!” Jessie exclaimed, enchanted by the surroundings.  It didn’t take long before Big Thunder Mountain Railroad caught her eye.  “Lookit!  Lookit!  There’s the roller coaster!  C’mon!”

The cowgirl took off in a sprint.  This was the thrill ride she had been waiting for – and a western themed one at that!  The toys knew there would be no appeasing her until they had ridden it.   The group raced after her up the path to the coaster and snaked up the queue area to the boarding platform.  Some of the souvenir toys were exiting the cars as Bonnie’s toys approached.   A maintenance worker near the ride’s control panel spotted them as they walked up.

“You want to ride too?” he asked, and the toys nodded.  “Climb aboard.”  Jessie leapt into the front row followed by Buzz, and Woody, Dolly, and Bullseye boarded the row behind them. 

 “Hang on to yer hats and glasses, ‘cause this here’s the wildest ride in the wilderness!” the ride’s recording instructed, in a voice remarkably similar to the Prospector’s on the _Woody’s Roundup_ television show.   Jessie and Woody both heeded the warning and removed their hats, stashing them in the net pouches provided for loose items.  

Buzz stood up on the seat to reach the safety bar, and pulled it tightly down into place across himself and Jessie.  Woody secured his seat’s passengers in the same manner.  Tiny fingers and hooves gripped the padded bars in anticipation, and as a last-minute precaution, the space toy pushed the purple button to activate his helmet. 

In moments the mine train was slowly clacking up its tracks to the crest of the first hill, traveling through a faintly-lit cave with “falling” rocks and mists of water.   Suddenly they came out into the night air and began their exhilarating descent, plummeting down hills into rocky canyons and sweeping around banked turns with views of desert scenes below. 

Jessie whooped and hollered happily on the coaster, throwing her arms in the air in sheer joy.  The wind created by the fast-moving ride whipped her braid and she felt truly alive.  Buzz protectively extended his arm in front of her, afraid the slender cowgirl doll would slip from under the safety bar on the next turn.   But in spite of his concerns, the Space Ranger found he was thoroughly enjoying the thrill of the ride himself. 

“Whoooeeee!  That was great!”  Jessie yelled as the train finally came to a stop.  “Thank ya kindly, sir!” she called out to the maintenance worker. 

The toys exited their seats and the cowfolk were careful to retrieve their hats.  As they meandered down the ramp leading out of the ride, Jessie tiptoed up behind Buzz and pushed the purple button to open his helmet, giggling mischievously when the startled spaceman turned around to see who had done it.  Meanwhile, Woody lagged behind the group, looking a little green.   

“What’s the matter, Sheriff?” Dolly asked with a smirk on her face.  “All these rides a little too much for ya?”

“Uhhh,” the cowboy groaned.  “I’ll be fine.  Just give me a minute.”

Since Splash Mountain was shut down for off-season repairs, the toys hurried past it and entered the frontier town.  In these fantastic surroundings, Woody quickly recovered from the ill effects of the coaster and for the first time that night truly began to enjoy himself in the Old West atmosphere.  The streets of Frontierland were a dream come true for the western toys.  For a few glorious moments, they weren’t even toys, they really were Sheriff Woody, Deputy Jessie, and trusty steed Bullseye, protecting the town from outlaws.  They sauntered along the wooden sidewalks of the town, took turns racing Bullseye up and down the street, and tested their skills in the Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade, where Jessie came out the champion, much to Woody’s dismay.  And at the Country Bear Jamboree, the siblings square-danced in the aisles to the bears’ lively music, with Bullseye bouncing along, all of them caught up in the merriment of the country setting.  Even Buzz and Dolly couldn’t help clapping along. 

Realizing their western fun couldn’t last all night, the group moved onward to the next land.  As they strolled along the street, the toys noticed the architecture change to an early-American appearance as they transitioned from Frontierland into Liberty Square.  In the shadows ahead of them, the dark and foreboding Haunted Mansion grabbed Dolly’s attention. 

“Let’s go on that,” the ragdoll suggested.  “Bonnie always makes me be the evil witch, I might as well embrace it,” she added with a chuckle.

Jessie hesitated, reaching for her braid and tugging on it anxiously.  “I - I think I’ll sit this one out.  But y’all go have fun.”   

Buzz suspected the darkness of the ride was the reason for the cowgirl’s worries.  “Come on, Jess, I’ll protect you,” he encouraged, as he stood facing her.  He took her hand and rubbed his thumb against it tenderly, while freeing her braid from the grasp of her nervous habit with his other hand.  “Remember, I glow.”  She smiled at him in response.  He really knew her too well.

The toys walked down the dark queue into the ride’s entrance and then along an eerie corridor lit only by flickering faux candlelight.  They entered a small octagonal room and the doors shut behind them, enveloping them in darkness with no way out.  Jessie began to hyperventilate.   

“I’m right here,” the Space Ranger soothed, wrapping his arm around her waist.  “Just look at me.”  The panicked cowgirl’s breathing gradually lightened as she focused on her spaceman’s glowing suit.

They watched as the mysterious room stretched in height above them and listened to the narrator’s spooky voice.  “This chamber has no windows and no doors, which offers you this chilling challenge:  to find a way out!  Of course, there's always my way.” 

BOOM!   A loud crack of thunder rang out as the room was plunged into complete blackness, leaving a lone figure visible hanging from the ceiling high above.  Jessie screamed in terror and buried her face in Buzz’s shoulder as he held her tighter.  ‘ _Maybe this was a bad idea_ ,’ he thought.

Fortunately, the hidden exit to the room opened immediately after and the ride’s “Doom Buggies” came into view.  There was hardly any wait as other toys climbed into the continuously moving cars ahead of them.  Bullseye stumbled as the group stepped onto the moving platform adjacent to the cars. 

“You gonna be okay, Jess?” Woody asked his visibly-shaken sister.  Jessie nodded, but still clung to Buzz.  

“Sure she will,” Buzz confidently replied, as he rubbed her shoulder comfortingly.  “I’ve got her.”    

This time Dolly climbed into the car first, and Woody and Bullseye quickly scrambled in behind her as their car kept moving down the conveyor belt.   Buzz helped Jessie up into the next car and jumped in behind her.

The couple settled on the seat as the front of the car closed automatically.  Buzz wrapped an arm around Jessie, and she laid her head on his shoulder.  He pushed back her hat and lovingly kissed her forehead.  Nobody else could calm her after her panic attacks quite like he could.  She soon began to enjoy the ride, grinning as they passed bulging doors, floating candlesticks, dancing ghosts, and friendly audio-animatronic figures who waved at them as they rode by.  They managed to steal a few sweet kisses in the privacy of their car, and by the end of the ride, Jessie was laughing at the hitchhiking ghost that joined them in the mirror. 

 As the group walked out of the Haunted Mansion, Woody snapped them back into reality.  “I hate to cut things short, but we better be heading back to the hotel soon,” he reminded his friends.  Four disappointed faces looked back at him.   

“But we haven’t seen everything yet, Woody!  Please, just a little longer, so Buzz can see the space rides?” Jessie pleaded. 

“No, we’ve got to go,” insisted Woody.  “But…” he added with a smile, “since tonight’s gone so smoothly, we can come back tomorrow.”

“We can?  Really?  Yeeehawww!”  Jessie cheered and Bullseye neighed.

“Just so long as you don’t mess anything up before we can get back to the resort tonight,” Woody joked. 

The toys emerged into the cool night air and made their way to Liberty Square, towards the pathway that would take them through Fantasyland and back out to Main Street.  As they passed by the Columbia Harbour House, something on the sign caught Woody’s eye.   

“Hey Jess, looks like that’s a chicken restaurant.  Bet they have honey mustard.  Want me to get you some?” Woody teased.  The three other toys snickered while Jessie scowled at her brother.

“Ha. Ha. Ha.  I do NOT want honey mustard,” Jessie replied drily. 

“Yeah you do,” Buzz retorted, barely able to hold back his laughter. 

Jessie groaned and rolled her eyes, trying her best to ignore the hilarity the other toys were enjoying at her expense by taking a few strides ahead of the group.  Ever since the previous summer, when Bonnie accidentally brought home an obnoxious fast food toy version of Buzz – who had blatantly hit on her, trying to win her over with offers of honey mustard sauce from the restaurant – the other toys had never let her live it down.  Even Buzz found it amusing, knowing that the little toy was no romantic rival.

Buzz caught up with Jessie and reached out for her.  “Sorry, Jess, I couldn’t resist,” he apologized gently, flashing her one of his charming smiles as he squeezed her hand.  “Besides,” he admitted, “you’re cute when you’re annoyed.”  Jessie gasped, scrunched up her face, and punched her boyfriend’s arm in mock anger.  The Space Ranger chuckled.  

As they hurried through Fantasyland, past “it’s a small world” and Peter Pan’s Flight, the toys took mental notes of the rides they wanted to be sure not to miss the next night.  Rounding the corner, Jessie caught sight of the Carrousel.  Her eyes widened and her pace slowed as they drew nearer.  As they passed the glittering merry-go-round, she came to almost a complete stop, inadvertently pulling Buzz’s hand backward.  He was forced to either stop along with her or let go of her hand, and he chose to stop and find out what was wrong.  The Space Ranger noticed the expression clouding his girlfriend’s face, but he couldn’t quite read it.

“What is it, Jess?” he asked, with eyes full of concern.  Jessie snapped her head around to face him, immediately brought out of the trance she was in.

“Nothin’,” she quietly replied, shaking her head as if to remove the thoughts that were troubling her.  “It’s nothin’,” she repeated, but held a little tighter to his hand as they ran off after their friends. 

Bonnie’s toys rushed through the castle, across the drawbridge, and back down Main Street towards the Magic Kingdom’s exit.  Delicious aromas wafted from the bakery as park staff prepared for the hungry guests who would be arriving in only a few hours.  Unable to resist the temptation of the enticing smells, Bullseye followed his nose in the direction of the bake shop.  Jessie whistled to the curious horse to keep him on track with the rest of the group. 

The horizon was getting ever so slightly brighter and it wouldn’t be long before the sun was up.  On Main Street all the souvenir toys were beginning to file back into their shops to await the day’s crowds who might choose to take them home.  As the five vacationing toys finally passed the Emporium, Mickey waved from his post at the door.

“We’ll be back tomorrow!” Woody called to him hastily, as they raced towards the passageway under the train tracks where they had entered before. 

The toys scurried through the short tunnel, back under the turnstiles, and down the walkway towards the Contemporary Resort, reversing their route from earlier in the evening.  There were few people about in the pre-dawn hour and they enjoyed greater freedom in their movement. 

In no time they had reached the lawn beneath Bonnie’s balcony and were climbing the cord that still hung from the railing.  Last to ascend was Bullseye, who bit down tightly on the plug end of the cord while the other four hoisted him up and through the slats of the rail.  Buzz untied the knot that had secured the cord and wound the cord back around the dryer.  Jessie jumped up to open the door and the toys quietly and cautiously entered the room, while Buzz returned the dryer to its hiding place behind the curtain.  They tiptoed past the foot of Bonnie’s bed and froze just beneath it as the little girl stirred, then rolled back over, continuing to sleep and dream.  Finally they climbed into the tote that sat leaning against the armrest of the sofa bed and resumed their original positions in the bag.  Tired but exhilarated, they waited impatiently for another magical night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me tell you, it’s really difficult to condense a Disney vacation into only a few pages. :P And although I know a lot about Disney World, I don’t know the exact details about how it operates at night when the parks are closed. So if you happen to be familiar with the secret cast-member workings of the Disney Parks after hours, please excuse my ignorance. :) And please forgive me if I don’t send the toys on every ride, I’m trying to hit all the classics. 
> 
> One more note: I’m going to be downplaying the Toy Story aspect of Disney for this fic, with the exception of the Buzz Lightyear ride, which can be tied into Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (a show the toys are well aware of). I don’t want to put them in some sort of creepy, confusing, Twilight Zone universe with hundreds of themselves walking around. And I don’t want to deal with a whole bunch of Deluded Buzzes, either. ;)


	4. Back to the Magic Kingdom - Part 1

The sounds of morning preparations could be heard coming from the Andersons’ bedroom, as Bonnie’s parents readied themselves for another day at the parks – first the alarm clock’s beeping, then the shuffling of tired feet, finally the splashing of the shower – but the five year old girl slept peacefully through it all.

Mrs. Anderson, her freshly-washed hair coiled in a towel on top of her head, walked into the living room and over to her daughter who was curled up cozily on the sofa bed.

“Bonnie sweetie, time to get up,” she said, as she gently rubbed the girl’s back, trying to ease her awake.  “We’re going to Epcot today!  And we’re going to have dinner with the princesses tonight.  Wake up, sleepyhead.”

The little girl rolled over on her back and rubbed her eyes, squinting at the early morning sunlight shining through the picture window.   Then she realized what her mother had said.

“Princesses?” she asked groggily.  “Can I wear my Rapunzel dress?” 

“Of course,” her mother chuckled.  “But you have to get up now.” 

Mrs. Anderson felt something crinkle underneath her bare feet and looked down at the floor.  “When did you get your map out, Bonnie?” she asked, a bit confused.  “Make sure you fold it up and put it away.”

“Huh?” Bonnie questioned, as her mother walked back into the bedroom and closed the door behind her.  The little girl sat up and let her eyes wander around the room in an attempt to shake off her drowsiness.  She glanced down at the map on the floor and noticed the bag of toys that sat near it.

“My toys!” she exclaimed.  “I’m sorry, you’ve been stuck in there since we got here.”  She pulled the bag up onto the bed next to her and took the five toys out, one by one.

“The Magic Kingdom was so cool!” she told them excitedly.  “I wish I could take you to see it, but Mom says I have to leave you here to keep you safe,” the girl grumbled.  “Bet you would love Frontierland!” she told the western toys.  “And Buzz, I defeated Zurg on your ride, I even beat Daddy’s score!” she boasted to the Space Ranger.  Lastly, she picked up Dolly.  “You could have used your witchy powers in the Haunted Mansion,” she giggled.                   

Bonnie climbed out of bed and carefully lined up her toys along the pillows.  Then she turned to her unzipped suitcase and rifled through it until she found the Rapunzel dress she had received on Christmas morning.  She pulled it out of the suitcase with a few other items and headed for the bathroom.

As soon as the little girl had left the room, the toys sat up.  Woody stared at Buzz with an annoyed expression on his face.

“You had to leave the map on the floor, didn’t you?” he snapped quietly.  “Nice going, Space Ranger.”

“Sorry,” Buzz apologized sheepishly, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.  “Guess I got caught up in the excitement too.” 

“Take it easy, Potsie, no harm done,” reassured Dolly. 

Suddenly they heard Mrs. Anderson’s muffled voice coming from the bedroom, calling to her husband who was in the shower.

“Honey, have you seen the blow dryer?  There’s supposed to be one in the bathroom drawer.”  They couldn’t make out his response.   “Okay, I’ll call the concierge for one,” she replied.  The toys looked at each other guiltily, then fell inanimate. 

The family bustled around the suite, finalizing their arrangements for the day.  Bonnie’s mother answered the door when the replacement blow dryer was delivered, and hastily styled her hair while her husband filled their backpack with jackets and other provisions for the park.  In no time both parents were waiting for their daughter, all set to go.    

Bonnie, wearing her new Rapunzel dress, sparkly shoes, and her favorite homemade necklace, hurried from the bathroom and retrieved the Mickey Mouse eared hat she had gotten the day before from the kitchen counter.  She admired its embroidery – reading “Bonnie” across the back in loopy yellow script – and placed it carefully on top of her head.

“Ready!” she announced to her parents.  They smiled and laughed lightheartedly at the little girl’s creative outfit.

“Oh, I love you, Bon-Bon,” her mother said, squeezing her into a warm hug.  “Let’s go!”   

Once the Andersons were out the door and a safe distance down the hall, the toys returned to life. 

“I sure am glad to be done with that bag for a while,” Dolly remarked.  “Let’s hope Bonnie keeps us on the bed for the rest of the trip.”

“I suppose they won’t be looking for the blow dryer anymore,” stated Woody, looking towards the window where it was hidden. 

“Don’t worry about it, Woody,” Jessie encouraged.  “Everything went off without a hitch last night.” 

“Admit it, cowboy, you had fun,” said Buzz, as he nudged his friend’s shoulder jokingly.

“Alright, I’ll admit, it is a pretty fun place,” Woody replied, with only a faint lingering of hesitation in his voice.  “But we still have to be careful tonight,” he reminded his friends.

Dolly glimpsed the large television on the wall that she had admired when they first explored the room the day before.    

“Well, we’ve got all day to kill while they’re at Epcot,” she pointed out.   “Why don’t we watch some TV?”

The toys agreed, and Jessie hopped off the bed and walked to the opposite wall where the television was mounted.  She climbed the drawers in the console beneath it like a ladder, reached up for the remote that sat on the shelf below the television, and returned with it to the bed to join her friends.   

There was plenty of space for the five of them to spread out, and they settled in comfortably.  Bullseye stretched out at the foot of the bed.  Buzz and Jessie snuggled down together against one of the pillows.  And Woody and Dolly shared the other pillow, a friendly distance apart, with the remote between them.

Dolly flipped channels, and after not finding any movies they could agree to watch, she settled on the _Must Do Disney_ program that the Disney World resorts played in a continuous loop, highlighting the parks’ most popular attractions.  The friends all enjoyed seeing what some of the rides they had been on looked like in daylight, but before long they were drifting off to sleep.

Hours later, the toys woke to the familiar boom of the Magic Kingdom fireworks and sat up sleepily, choosing to watch the spectacular show at the picture window as they wakened.  Once the fireworks were over, Jessie placed the remote back on the shelf and turned off the television before they resumed the positions Bonnie had left them in.  And they waited.

The Anderson family soon returned from the park, again with a sleeping Bonnie draped limply over her father’s shoulder.  The previous night’s routine was repeated as the little girl was tucked into bed, her parents retreated to their bedroom, and the toys’ getaway plan was set into motion. 

This time when Bonnie’s toys headed down Main Street, they were no longer shocked to see the souvenir toys emerging from the Emporium.  In fact, they chose to visit the impressive store first, to say hello to the plush Mickey who had welcomed them so kindly the night before.  Just as they expected, the mouse was standing at the door, supervising the night’s activity.

As Bonnie’s toys visited with Mickey, sharing stories of the fun they’d already had and their plans for that night, something inside the shop caught Jessie’s eye. 

“Buzz, lookit!  There’s a whole wall of hats like Bonnie got!  Let’s try ‘em on!”  The cowgirl sprinted into the shop, pulling her spaceman by the hand with her, and headed straight to a large display rack lining the wall of the Emporium, full of Mickey ear hats in a wide variety of styles and sizes. 

“Uh, I think they’re a little big for us,” Buzz protested, as Jessie quickly grabbed a classic black hat off the rack and plopped it on his head.  The adult-sized hat was huge on the space toy, covering him nearly to his waist.  He took a few stumbling steps in the darkness as Jessie giggled at the sight.

The cowgirl lifted the ear hat off of her boyfriend’s head.  “Here, try this,” she suggested, taking an infant-sized hat off the rack to replace the adult one.  It still engulfed the Space Ranger down to his shoulders.

“I don’t think this is going to work,” he sighed.

“Wait!” Jessie exclaimed, turning instead to the spinning display rack behind them, full of whimsical souvenir key chains.  On it she found key rings attached to tiny Mickey ear hats that looked like they would be a perfect fit for Buzz.  She took one from its hook and set it carefully on his head. 

“There,” she said, standing back to admire her handiwork.  “Just right!”

“You need one too,” Buzz suggested, removing another keychain from the rack and reaching up to place it on Jessie’s head, as she held her cowgirl hat in her hand.  It was a little small for her, but he thought she looked cute.  They both grinned widely at each other, pleased with their new accessories.  

“Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Nesbit, lose the hats!” hollered Woody from the store’s doorway.  “Let’s get this wagon train a-movin’!” 

Buzz scowled in Woody’s direction but refrained from making an angry retort, not wanting anything to spoil the evening’s happiness.  Jessie snatched the ear hats off of both of their heads, returned them to the display rack, and the couple darted out the door to join the others on their journey down Main Street. 

Within minutes Bonnie’s toys found themselves standing at the entrance to Cinderella’s Castle, with Fantasyland waiting on the other side.  Their rushed retreat the night before hadn’t allowed them the leisure to truly appreciate the structure’s grandeur.  Silhouetted dramatically against the night sky, the twinkling fairytale icicles that covered the palace became even more breathtaking at closer view.  The toys looked up, mesmerized, as they approached the castle’s open gates and passed through them into the walkway it contained. 

The first thing that came into sight when they emerged from the walkway was Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel.  Just like the night before, as they drew closer to the ride, Jessie stopped in her tracks, looking as if she’d seen a ghost. 

“Please tell me what’s wrong, Jess.  I know it isn’t nothing, like you said last night,” Buzz pressed sympathetically.  The cowgirl averted her gaze downward at her boots and nervously wrung her hands. 

He tenderly placed a finger under her chin and lifted her face to look at him.  Jessie sighed.

“It’s Emily,” she confessed reluctantly.  “She loved carrousels.  Every summer, her parents would take her to the county fair, and it was her favorite ride.  She’d come home and tell me all about it – the colorful horses, the music, it sounded so perfect.  But I never got to go along.  It was always my dream to ride one.”

“Well then,” said the Space Ranger with a soft smile, “I think it’s about time we made that dream come true.  Let’s turn it into a happy memory.”  Jessie’s face lit up and she threw her arms around her boyfriend’s neck in a tight embrace.    

They hurried to the carrousel’s entrance, with Woody, Dolly, and Bullseye following close behind.  Prince Charming himself, in doll form, greeted them as they climbed onto the ride’s platform, while a Cinderella doll stood demurely by his side and elegantly waved her welcome as well. 

The fanciful horses on the antique carrousel shone in colorful paint, sparkling gems, and gleaming brass, and the toys quickly found three to their liking that were side by side.  Jessie hoisted herself up on the outermost horse by grabbing hold of the stirrup, and Buzz followed her up in the same manner, taking his seat behind her on the saddle, his arms holding tightly around her waist.  Woody assisted Dolly with a boost onto the center horse, before climbing up on the innermost horse himself.  Meanwhile, Bullseye jumped around below, hopeful that the carrousel horses might be up for a race.   

Within moments the carrousel began to rotate.  Slowly, rhythmically, the horses raised and lowered in tune to the nostalgic organ music that could be heard coming from its center.   As the ride picked up a steady pace, Jessie closed her eyes for just a moment, savoring the experience.  A content smile spread on her face at the realization of a life-long dream coming true.  She opened her eyes – not wanting to miss anything – and turned back to glance at Buzz, beaming.   The Space Ranger was elated to see such bliss on his girlfriend’s face, and he kissed her tenderly on the cheek before she returned to face forward.  He rested his chin on her shoulder and held his cowgirl even tighter, relieved to witness her bittersweet memories of Emily fading away into joyful new memories shared with her toy family.

As soon as the ride stopped and the toys exited the carrousel, Bullseye spotted something in the distance and took off running towards it.  Jessie immediately raced after him, with Buzz keeping pace at her side.

“Bullseye!  Get back here!” the cowgirl yelled and whistled.  Her efforts were in vain, however, as the horse continued to bound away happily without slowing.

When the out-of-breath couple finally caught up with Bullseye, they found him bouncing gleefully around a very unimpressed-looking white toy horse, only a few inches shorter than himself, trying to make friends. 

“There ya are, ya little varmint!” Jessie scolded Bullseye.  “Don’t ever run away from us again, ya hear me?  Now, quit botherin’ that poor horse!”  He hung his head remorsefully and walked over to the cowgirl.

“Oh, it’s okay,” a friendly voice came from behind the proud toy stallion.  A foot-tall princess doll with long blond hair walked up to meet them, accompanied by a male doll of similar stature who they assumed was her prince.  

“Max tends to be a little stuck on himself sometimes.  He needs to make some horse friends.”  The princess patted the noble steed and he sniffed, sticking his nose in the air haughtily.

“Bullseye can get a little over-excited,” Jessie laughed.  Then the realization of whom they were speaking to hit her.  “Hey, I know who you are!  You’re Rapunzel!  Our kid watches your movie all the time!”

Rapunzel giggled.  “That’s me,” she replied.  “I suppose you know Eugene then, too?”

The male doll stepped forward and offered a friendly wave.  “It’s Flynn.  Hi.”    

“Howdy, I’m Jessie!” the cowgirl said cordially.  “And this is Buzz,” she added, reaching to grasp her boyfriend’s hand. 

“Pleased to meet you,” the Space Ranger added.

“I’ve never seen you here before, are you visiting?” asked Rapunzel. 

“Yep,” Jessie answered.  “Our kid, Bonnie, and her parents are on vacation, and we’ve been sneakin’ out at night.  It’s great!”

Buzz glanced back towards the carrousel and noticed Woody and Dolly waiting, a little impatiently, waving them over so they could all go on to the next ride.  He squeezed Jessie’s hand to get her attention and gestured in their direction. 

“Our friends are waiting for us, to go on ‘it’s a small world,’” Jessie explained to Rapunzel.  “Hey!  Do y’all wanna come with us?”

Rapunzel looked at Flynn with wide, hopeful eyes.

“Sure, why not?” he agreed readily.  Max, however, was not amused that he was forced to accompany them on something as undignified as an amusement park ride.

Buzz and Jessie led their new friends back towards the carrousel and introduced them to Woody and Dolly, who gladly included them in their plans.  The merry group then made their way to ‘it’s a small world’ nearby.

As the toys traveled down the winding queue ramp leading to the boats, Jessie and Rapunzel chatted enthusiastically about many things.

“If I had hair as long as yours, I’d use it as a lasso,” Jessie said to Rapunzel. 

“Maybe you can teach me,” replied the princess slyly.

“Don’t you give her any ideas,” Flynn interrupted. 

“That goes for both of you,” interjected Buzz.  “I’ve seen you with Bonnie’s toy frying pan, Jessie.” 

The two girls snickered.   

When they reached the end of the ramp, the group climbed on board one of the boats and shared the front bench seat, allowing them an unobstructed view of the ride.  They couldn’t see the toys operating the controls in the booth high above them, but in moments the boat lurched forward into the stream of water, carrying them into a delightful world of singing children from all over the world. 

Not too far into the ride, Jessie spotted a small assemblage of figures representing Spain, with a faint Spanish melody playing in accompaniment to the theme music.  Jessie looked to Buzz, who was sitting beside her, to see if it was having any effect on him.

Meeting her gaze, the space toy gently raised a hand to his cowgirl’s face and captured her lips in soft yet passionate kiss.  Only seconds later, the boat moved on to the next country, and the couple pulled apart to see the rest of their friends staring at them, most notably Rapunzel and Flynn. 

“Heh, sorry, Spanish Mode,” apologized Buzz awkwardly to their new friends.   

“Spanish Mode?” Rapunzel questioned, confused. 

“It’s a long story,” Jessie explained.  “Let’s just say it’s his romantic side.”

“I know how that is,” replied Rapunzel, quietly aside to Jessie.  “Kind of like Eugene’s ‘smolder.’”   

As the cheerful ride traveled through more rooms representing the different continents, the toys became completely caught up in the happy atmosphere, especially Jessie and Rapunzel.  The two high-spirited girls stretched over the railing at the front of the boat to get a closer look and waved excitedly to the audio-animatronic figures who acknowledged them in the midst of their musical performance. 

Watching the two girls in their exuberance, Flynn elbowed Buzz. 

“Looks like we both have feisty ones,” he remarked with a smirk.   Buzz chuckled.

“That’s for sure,” the Space Ranger agreed heartily.  “But it makes life interesting, doesn’t it?  I wouldn’t want it any other way.”  Flynn nodded. 

Once the ride concluded and they reached the top of the exit ramp, the group spotted Peter Pan’s Flight directly across from them and decided to visit that next.   They crossed the walkway and snaked through the queue until they reached the boarding area for the whimsical, flying pirate ships that served as the vehicles for the ride.

A Peter Pan plush stood at the control panel, with a disgruntled-looking Tinkerbell doll sitting cross-legged next to him, her arms folded.

“Hello there!” he called jovially to the toys.  “Climb aboard.”  Peter noticed them trying not to stare at Tink in the midst of her tantrum.  “Oh, don’t mind her.  She’s just mad that I won’t let her drive.”  The fairy stuck her tongue out at him.

The toys boarded three separate ships – Rapunzel, Flynn and Max in one; Buzz and Jessie in a second; and Woody, Dolly and Bullseye in a third – and secured themselves with the safety bars.  As they pulled away from the loading dock, Peter Pan called out:

“Second star to the right and straight on till morning!  Here we go!”

The enchanted pirate ship seemed to float in midair as it passed through the scenes of the classic movie, and when they flew over a tiny, nighttime London skyline, Jessie let out a little gasp as she admired the charming scene.  She turned to Buzz, to see if he was enjoying the ride as much as she was, and giggled when she saw how brilliantly his spacesuit was glowing in the black lights of the dark ride. 

“What?” he asked, puzzled.

“You’re glowin’,” Jessie said, with a grin.  “Bright.  Look.”  The Space Ranger looked down at himself and chuckled, before looking at her.

“So are you,” he pointed out. “Look at the white on your shirt and chaps.  Now you glow in the dark too.”

Jessie glanced at her clothing then back at Buzz, amused by the strange appearance the lighting was giving them.  They laughed and shared a chaste kiss in the privacy of their vehicle before they cuddled back together for the remainder of the ride.    

As soon as their flying ships arrived at the exit, the group disembarked and headed back towards the center of Fantasyland.  While they ambled along, Bullseye trotted up alongside Max, trying unsuccessfully to engage him in a race.  Max snorted with contempt at the lively western horse, refusing to compromise his nobility with such a common activity.

Rapunzel and Flynn came to a stop when they reached the carrousel.  The other toys paused with them.    

“I wish we could tag along on some more rides, but we’re expected at a princess party at the Castle at midnight,” Rapunzel explained, wrinkling her nose in disgust.   “Some of those girls can be so stuck up.  All they care about is who has the fanciest dress or the handsomest prince.  So Eugene and me, we just go and dance.”

“Ugh, sounds terrible,” commented Jessie in agreement.  “Except for the dancin’ part,” she added, with a wink in Buzz’s direction.

The new friends regretfully bade each other goodbye, and Bonnie’s toys set out to find the next attraction.

“They were awful nice,” Jessie remarked to Buzz as they walked. 

“That they were,” he concurred.    

“Good thing I didn’t tell ‘em you slept through their movie that one time,” teased Jessie with a playful smile. 

“Hey, I was tired, it took me all day to help the peas find their pod, no thanks to the cat,” Buzz defended himself.  “Besides, if you told them that, I would have had to tell them how you tried to wake me up.” 

He grinned mischievously, as Jessie’s mouth gaped in feigned shock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Rapunzel, Flynn and Max toys are based on the ones that were sold at the Disney Store, which would most likely be the ones at the parks. And one little moment in here was inspired by the Disneyland commercials featuring [deluded] Buzz at the parks, that came out when the DCA remodel and Cars Land were new. Did you catch it? There will be more next time. ;)


	5. Back to the Magic Kingdom - Part 2

Bonnie’s toys wandered through Fantasyland, happily talking together and simply delighting in the extraordinary freedom of their vacation.  Before long they came upon whimsical elephants, soaring up and down, round and round, just like the magic carpets the night before.  

“It’s Dumbo the Flying Elephant!” Dolly announced.  “We gotta ride this one.  Come on, guys!”

The group hurried towards the entrance to the queue, but Woody held back. 

“If you girls are planning on driving those elephants like you did the carpets last night, I’m sitting this one out,” Woody stated.  “I’ll wait here.  Go, have fun. ” He waved his hands forward in encouragement.   

Leaving the cowboy at the gate, the remaining four toys entered the queue and greeted the stuffed Dumbo who was maneuvering the ride’s controls with his trunk.  The little elephant smiled at them in acknowledgement as they walked by.  Deciding to share a single vehicle this time, the friends boarded the ride and soon had their elephant flying in the same manner as their carpet the night before, laughing merrily as the chilly air touched their faces in their flight. 

While Woody waited for his friends, he heard a familiar voice nearby.  The plush Mickey that they had become acquainted with at the Emporium was making his nightly rounds and visiting with the souvenir toys.  He spotted the cowboy standing by the ride’s railing and walked up to him.

“Are you and your friends having fun tonight?” Mickey asked jovially.

“Howdy!” replied Woody, as he turned around at his post by the fence.  “Yes, yes we are, very much so.  I didn’t expect to see you away from the store.”

“Oh, I get out a little too,” the mouse answered, “usually to a different land every night.  Just to make sure everybody is enjoying themselves.”

“Are you in charge around here?” the cowboy questioned, sensing a kindred spirit in the stuffed toy.

“Sort of,” responded Mickey with a shrug.  “I’ve been here longer than most of them, so the newer toys look up to me, since I know how things work.”

“How come you’ve been here so long?” Woody inquired.  “Doesn’t just about every kid take home a stuffed Mickey Mouse as a souvenir?”

“Sure,” said the mouse.  “But I’ve been part of a toy display on a shelf for as long as I can remember, and the shoppers can’t reach me.  It’s okay, though,” he added.   “Someday they’ll change the display and I’ll get my chance too.”  Despite the toy’s characteristic cheerful demeanor, Woody perceived a trace of longing to be chosen by a child like the rest.  

Bonnie’s toys returned from the ride as the two talked, and were pleased to see another new friend had joined their group.

“Hey, why don’t you come with us?” Woody suggested to Mickey.  “We still have some rides to go on.  You shouldn’t be all work and no play.”  

“Look who’s talkin’!” Jessie giggled.  Woody shot the cowgirl an irritated look.

“That’s awful nice of you, but I’m afraid I really should be getting back to the Emporium,” the mouse politely declined.   “The other toys will start to return to their shelves soon.  Will I see you folks on your way out?”

“We won’t leave without saying goodbye,” Woody promised. 

“Swell!  See ya real soon!”  Mickey waved heartily as he marched back towards the Castle. 

The group headed off in search of more excitement and promptly found it in the form of giant teacups, spinning wildly under a canopy of colorful paper lanterns.   When they approached the queue entrance, again Woody lingered, once he noticed how quickly the teacup vehicles were spinning 

“The Mad Tea Party?  Have you lost your marbles?  I know better than to get on that with you, or else I’ll be the mad one,” he told his sister. 

“Aww, c’mon Woody!  We’ll behave, won’t we Dolly?” said Jessie to her friend, with a wink that wasn’t visible to the cowboy.

“Of course we will,” the rag doll concurred, returning the wink.  “We’ll keep it perfectly tame.”

“Alright,” Woody agreed hesitantly.  “If you say so.  But I dunno, this is a _tea_ party – can you handle it, Buzz?  You’re not gonna get drunk, are you?”  He grinned wickedly at his friend.

“Darn it, Woody!  Enough with the Nesbit jokes!” replied Buzz angrily.  The Space Ranger had been mocked enough for one night.  He turned to his girlfriend and muttered under his breath, “Oh, we’ll get him now.” 

The five toys walked out into the pavilion where the teacups were scattered and selected a blue one.  They climbed aboard, up onto the circular seat, and Buzz closed the vehicle’s small door behind them.

Already feeling uneasy, Woody winced when he noticed a Mad Hatter toy in the little house that concealed the control panel.  Before he could reconsider his choice to join his friends, the ride’s platform began to move and the teacups themselves started to rotate.

Buzz threw Jessie a knowing glance, and she replied with a single, small nod.  The cowgirl made eye contact with Dolly sitting across from her, and the rag doll smirked in understanding.  The trio stood in their seats and grasped the wheel in the center of the teacup, turning it with all their might.  Gradually the vehicle’s momentum increased to a dizzying spin. 

Woody planted his hands firmly on the bench seat and held on for dear life.

“Whoa!” he exclaimed.  “You said you’d take it easy!  Slow down!”

“That’s payback for your teasing, cowboy,” Buzz scolded.  “Swear you’ll stop with the Nesbit jokes, and we’ll slow it down.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop,” Woody conceded. 

Buzz signaled to the girls and they let up on the wheel, slowing the ride’s rotation.  Woody breathed a sigh of relief.  Feeling as if he’d been victorious in this showdown with his friends, a mischievous grin spread across his face. 

“For now,” he mumbled, just loudly enough for Buzz to hear.

Buzz heard.  He glared at Woody.

“Faster!” the Space Ranger commanded.  Jessie and Dolly eagerly complied, and within seconds the teacup was whirling even more rapidly than before. 

Woody’s hand reached up to cover his mouth.  The cowboy felt that if toys could vomit, he certainly would be doing so at that very moment.

“I give!” he yelled in surrender.  “I won’t tease you any more the rest of the trip.  I promise!”

Buzz arched an eyebrow and looked at Woody incredulously.  However, before the toys could slow the teacup’s spinning voluntarily, the ride eased to a stop on its own.

Jessie opened the door to the vehicle and the group exited one by one, with Woody trailing behind the rest, so dizzy he could barely walk and looking terribly sick.

“Learn your lesson?” Dolly questioned with a smirk.

“Uhhh," was the only response the cowboy could manage as he grasped at his stomach. 

Not far from the teacups, the lights of the Tomorrowland Speedway shone brightly and the revving of the small cars’ engines could be heard.  Jessie spotted it almost immediately and leapt in excitement.

“I wanna drive!” she squealed.  “Let’s go there next!”  Woody looked at her, unimpressed, and still sulking from his experience on the teacups. 

“You?  Driving?” he asked sarcastically. 

“Sure, why not?” Buzz defended his girlfriend.  “I’ve driven before, why can’t she?”

“Because it’s _Jessie_ ,” disputed Woody.  “She’ll run us off the road!”  Offended, the cowgirl charged toward her brother, and Buzz grasped her firmly around the waist in an attempt to restrain her.

“The cars only reach a top speed of 7.5 miles per hour,” the Space Ranger reasoned.  “Besides, there’s a barrier to keep the wheels on course.  It’s harmless.  She’ll do fine.” 

“You looking for more torture, cowboy?” Dolly kidded.  “You better go along with it.”

“Okay, fine,” he relented sullenly. 

As they traveled through the ride’s queue, Buzz planned out their strategy.  He was the only one of the toys present who had participated in the drive from Al’s apartment to the airport, and the rest of the group would need instructions.  

“If these cars are anything like the truck I drove, there will be two pedals on the floor, one for braking and one for accelerating,” he coached.  “Jessie will steer, and I’ll man the gas pedal.  Woody, since you’re so concerned about safety, you can handle the brake.  Dolly and Bullseye, you can just buckle up and enjoy the ride.” 

Bonnie’s toys waited as little racecars pulled into the station and souvenir toys exited their vehicles.  They chose a car of their own and clambered aboard, taking the positions Buzz had suggested.  Jessie stood proudly in the driver’s seat, her tiny hands gripped tightly on the steering wheel, ready to go.

“Floor it, Buzz!” she called down to her boyfriend, once the roadway in front of them was clear.  

The Space Ranger pressed downward on the gas pedal and the car lurched into motion.  As the vehicle neared the first turn, Jessie rotated the wheel sharply.  Woody lost his balance and stumbled sideways.

“Warn me next time, will ya?” the cowboy hollered.  Jessie just laughed gleefully, exhilarated by being behind the wheel.

The cowgirl soon got the hang of steering the vehicle, and she drove only slightly recklessly, following the winding track of the speedway around curves, across bridges, and beneath underpasses.  Bullseye wiggled free of the seatbelt and moved to the side of the open-air car.  He hung his head over the edge and stuck out his tongue, trying to capture the cool breeze.   

When they returned to the loading and unloading zone, Woody pushed down on the brake with all his might and the vehicle slowed to a halt.   The group exited the car and the speedway, and Woody caught up with his sister, who was walking hand in hand with Buzz. 

“I was wrong,” the cowboy apologized, regretting his earlier insults.  “You did a great job driving, Jess.” 

“Thanks a heap, Woody!” the cowgirl beamed, seizing her brother into a one-armed hug.

Suddenly the gleaming neon of Tomorrowland up ahead captured Buzz’s attention. 

“Great glittering galaxies!” the Space Ranger gasped as they entered the next land.   He looked upward in awe at the planets surrounding the Astro Orbiter rocket ride.  “What a space port!”

Before the space toy’s eyes lay a fantastic scene, not unlike how he imagined Star Command would look could he actually visit it.  Futuristic buildings lit in colorful neon lined the streetscape, and the white angular peak that they had seen from their hotel room pointed toward the sky in front of them.  Realizing that this structure housed Space Mountain, the toys headed to the roller coaster first.

“What’s in here?”  Woody asked his friends as they approached the entrance.

“You mean you didn’t see this one on Bonnie’s DVD, or on TV this morning?” queried Dolly, surprised.

“No, I guess I wasn’t paying attention.  Why?” the cowboy replied. 

“No reason,” returned the rag doll with a smile.

Inside the steel mountain, the ride’s queue meandered through metallic corridors worthy of Star Command.  Buzz walked as in a daze, captivated by his surroundings.  When they finally reached the loading dock, the Space Ranger turned to Jessie, concern visible in his eyes.     

“This ride looks pretty dark, Jess.  Are you going to be okay?” he gently inquired.

Jessie grinned in reassurance.  “’Course I will!  I wouldn’t miss flyin’ through space with you.”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Woody interjected.  “Flying?  Is this another roller coaster?”

“Yeah,” answered Buzz matter-of-factly.  “What did you think it was?”

“I don’t know!” the cowboy cried.  “Not another roller coaster!  I’m leaving – “

Jessie grabbed hold of his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks as he attempted to escape. 

“Oh no, you’re not,” she ordered.  “You’re here, you’re ridin’ with us.  Cowboy up!”  Woody groaned.

A maintenance worker was sweeping the loading area and serving also as ride controller.  He glimpsed Bonnie’s toys waiting to board the next rocket and noticed that a Buzz Lightyear toy was one of them. 

“Buzz Lightyear gets the front row,” the cast member said with a friendly smile and a salute.  He gestured for Buzz and the others to take the three narrow seats in the first rocket – Buzz and Jessie in the front, Dolly and Woody in the middle, and Bullseye in the back.  The toys climbed on board and reached forward to pull down their safety bars, Woody reaching over the back of his seat to make sure Bullseye was secure before stashing his hat in the storage compartment like Jessie had done with hers.   And even though the coaster was indoors, Buzz activated his helmet, wanting to experience the full effect of flying through space. 

The rocket ascended its track through a tunnel lit dramatically with pulsating lights.  Woody gripped the bar in front of him and grimaced.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” he whimpered.

 Before Woody could brood over his predicament any further, the rocket was launched into space and the vehicle plunged down the first hill, rapidly gaining momentum on the track.  The only light available to illuminate the path ahead came from the galaxy of twinkling “stars” enveloping them – in fact it was so dark that it was impossible to see which direction the twisted track would take next.  The coaster whipped around turns and plummeted down drops with increasing intensity and speed.  

Just as she had done on the previous night’s roller coaster, Jessie threw her arms in the air and screamed in excitement, savoring the thrill.  Buzz had been better prepared this time and made sure she was fastened in tightly so that he could enjoy the ride without worry.  The Space Ranger found himself unable to resist raising his arms along with his cowgirl and pretending, just for a moment, that he was actually in flight. 

Meanwhile, Woody’s screams were far less joyful than his sister’s – that is, when he could even manage to make the screams audibly come out of his mouth.  He braced himself as best as he could and hoped against hope that he somehow wouldn’t lose all his stuffing.  Dolly, undaunted by the coaster herself, glanced at him and snickered at his terror-stricken countenance. 

The rocket shot through one more flashing neon tunnel before returning to its space port.  After disengaging their safety restraints, the cowfolk retrieved their hats and the five toys exited the rocket.  Buzz retracted his helmet and saluted the maintenance worker who had sent them on their space mission.

“Farewell,” the space toy called out as they walked away. 

Woody was grateful that the ride’s egress was by way of a moving runway, which gave him time to compose himself after the spine-tingling coaster.  His head was reeling and his stomach queasy, and his friends figured it was best to let him be in his misery, lest he lash out at them for dragging him on the wild space flight.  As the runway rolled along towards the gift shop at its end, Buzz, Jessie, and Dolly discussed their plans for the remainder of their time in Tomorrowland.   

“I’m done with thrills for tonight,” the cowboy cut in, as they strolled through the shop and out into the brisk night air.  “I think I’ll go ride those ‘people mover’ things, while you ride the rockets.”  He pointed to the Tomorrowland Transit Authority cars traveling along a track high above their heads. 

“I’ll join you,” Dolly replied.  “You too, Bullseye.  Let’s give the lovebirds a little alone time.  We can meet up after.”  Bullseye whinnied and nodded in agreement. 

Woody, Dolly and Bullseye boarded the escalator up to the Transit Authority for their mellow tour of Tomorrowland, while Buzz and Jessie took the elevator to the top level where the Astro Orbiter rockets were located.

The enclosed space of the elevator didn’t bother Jessie.  She was too giddy to be alone with Buzz at such a magical place as Disney World, even if only for a few minutes, and elated to think that they were on the sort of outing that human couples go on so easily.  She looked at him and grinned.

“What?” the Space Ranger asked, returning his cowgirl’s smile. 

“Don’t it feel like we’re on a date?” she pointed out.  “Jus’ you and me here.  It’s nice.”

“It is,” her boyfriend readily agreed, his hands encircling her waist to draw her closer to him in the seclusion of the elevator, as she draped her arms around his neck.  Just as their lips met in a slow, sensual kiss, the elevator came to a halt and the doors opened.  They could feel the corners of each other’s mouths turn upward as they stopped kissing but still touched, more amused at their luck than annoyed.  No matter where they were, at home or on vacation, something always seemed to intrude on their privacy.     

The couple wandered out onto the platform and boarded one of the retro-modern style rockets, too caught up in the moment to be alarmed that the controls were being manned by a Stitch plush.  Buzz reclined back into the seat, expecting Jessie to drive as she had on the previous flying rides.   The cowgirl smirked and reached for his hand, pulling him forward.

“Not so fast,” she said sweetly.  “You’re pilotin’ your own spaceship, Captain.”

Jessie slid back in the rocket’s seat, eager to watch her spaceman in his element, as Buzz stood and took hold of the joystick.   Now it was Jessie’s turn to share in her love’s excitement, as he experienced something as magical for him as Frontierland had been for her.

Gradually the rockets began their rotation, and Buzz engaged the joystick, taking their own vehicle higher.  The view from this vantage point above Tomorrowland was breathtaking, as the park spread out below them as far as their little eyes could see.  The clear, starry sky and the multi-colored planets that looked as if they were orbiting around them only added to the illusion of rocketing through space.  Jessie proudly watched her Space Ranger control the rocket, as Buzz allowed his imagination to take wing. 

When the rocket ride concluded, Buzz jumped effortlessly out of the vehicle and offered Jessie a hand to help her down.  The couple returned to the elevator and found their friends waiting for them back at ground level.  The time for the toys to leave the park was drawing near, but they knew without a doubt what their last destination for the night would be, and they headed in that direction. 

“How were the ‘people movers,’ Woody?” Jessie asked her brother.

“Nice and calm,” he replied gladly.  “My kind of ride.  How were the rockets?”

“Out of this world,” Buzz answered with a smirk.  Woody rolled his eyes at his friend’s feeble attempt at humor.

After a short walk, Bonnie’s toys finally arrived at the ride the Space Ranger had been waiting for all night.   Vibrantly-colored cartoon-like drawings, in the style of the _Buzz Lightyear of Star Command_ television program and video games that the space toy was a product of, decorated the building that housed the attraction.  The friends looked up to see two signs mounted on the exterior:  one reading “Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin,” and another reading “Star Command Headquarters.” 

“Lookit!  Lookit!  That’s you!,” Jessie exclaimed, tugging at her spaceman’s arm. 

But Buzz made no response.  All he could do was stare as he took it all in, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, completely at a loss for words and utterly wonderstruck. 

The group traveled through the open door and into the ride’s queue, which was decorated just as vividly as its exterior.  Maps of the Galactic Alliance and Gamma Quadrant and larger-than-life AA batteries lined the walls, along with illustrations of Little Green Men.  The setting became more and more like an elaborate command center as they seemed to be venturing deeper into Star Command, on their way to challenge Zurg. 

Before they reached the loading zone for the ride’s space cruisers, a giant audio-animatronic Buzz Lightyear figure addressed his toy counterpart.

“A fellow Space Ranger!  Welcome, Captain,” he saluted.  “Right this way.  I trust you will defeat Zurg and defend the galaxy with ease.”

“I’ll do my best,” Bonnie’s Buzz returned the salute.  As he did so, he could have sworn he saw the giant Buzz look at Jessie.

“Alluring,” he was sure heard the lofty figure murmur as they walked by.  The space toy rolled his eyes.  _‘Is every Buzz Lightyear attracted to my Jess?’_ he thought.

 However, any aggravation Buzz felt was soon forgotten as he caught sight of the ride’s XP-37 space cruisers, fitted with dual laser cannons.  The group stepped out onto the conveyor belt moving alongside the vehicles and scrambled into two cruisers and up onto the seats.  They stood and positioned themselves at the laser cannons, with Buzz and Jessie in one car and Woody, Dolly, and Bullseye in the other.  Bullseye laid down on the seat so Dolly could stand on his back, giving the petite rag doll the boost in height she needed to reach her weapon.    

 “I bet I can out-shoot you any day, tough guy!” Woody called to his friend in the next cruiser.

“You’re on, cowboy,” the Space Ranger retorted.  “Like you can beat me at my own game.”

The cars traveled along through numerous rooms filled with animated figures of aliens, robots, and Zurg himself, all fitted with circular targets bearing the “Z” of the evil emperor’s insignia.  Bonnie’s toys watched their scores increase on their vehicles’ dashboard panels as they repeatedly aimed and fired at the targets, using the knobs also on the dashboards to rotate their cruisers in different directions.  When they came to the final room, another large audio-animatronic Buzz Lightyear congratulated them on Zurg’s defeat.

Watching the dashboards flash with their final scores, the toys referenced the chart on the wall and determined their rankings before comparing them with each other.

“Hah!  Space Scout,” Woody announced.  “With a score of 98,500!”

“I’m a Space Ranger First Class!” exclaimed Dolly.  “197,450!  What did you get, Buzz?”

“575,900, Space Ace,” the Space Ranger boasted.  “How about you, Jess?” he asked his girlfriend.

“750,500,” she beamed.  “Cosmic Commando.”  Dolly gave her a round of applause as the two male toys’ faces fell dejectedly.

“What?” wailed Woody in disbelief.  “Oh, we gotta have a rematch.  We’re riding this again.”

The toys remained in their vehicles past the unloading platform and continued on for a second turn.  It being so close to morning, there were fortunately few other toys in the queue waiting to board the ride.

They approached their second face-off with an even greater focus, spinning their cruisers and firing their laser cannons with a fierce determination to improve their scores from the prior round.  When they reached the end of the ride a second time, the audio-animatronic Buzz figure waved in recognition.

“Back again?” the figure asked, before leering and winking at Jessie.  Bonnie’s Buzz scowled furiously and lunged toward his giant rival.

“That’s IT!” he shouted in a jealous rage, completely fed up with other Space Rangers making a move on his girl.

 Jessie reacted quickly, grabbing her boyfriend by the arm and dragging him back towards her.   She wrapped one arm around his shoulders, rested her other hand on his chest plate, and tenderly kissed his cheek in attempt to calm him as he stood there, still seething.

“You got nothin’ to worry about, Ranger,” she whispered softly in his ear.  “You’re the only spaceman for me.”   Buzz turned to meet her gaze, pulled her close, and captured her lips in a fervent kiss.  As they rode away, he glanced back to make sure the audio-animatronic Buzz had noticed, and was satisfied to see the figure’s face wearing a repulsed expression.

“Okay, moment of truth,” declared Dolly.  “Scores?”

“Hah!  I’m a Cosmic Commando this time.  780,900,” Buzz bragged.

“Well, I’m a Planetary Pilot, 289,500” offered Dolly.  “How’d you do, Woody?”  He slumped in his seat.

“Space Cadet,” he replied sorrowfully.  “I didn’t even break 10,000.  My gun has got to be broken.” 

“Who’s the top shot now, cowboy?” Buzz teased, confident of his victory.

“Hold yer horses there, space boy,” Jessie interrupted.  “How ‘bout my score?”

“Alright,” Buzz replied casually.  “What was it?”

“Galactic Hero.   999,999.  Yeeehawww!”  the cowgirl squealed.  The Space Ranger’s jaw dropped in astonishment.

“The highest rank?  Ooh, Rex and Trixie are gonna be so jealous!”  cheered Dolly, as Bullseye bounced on the seat in celebration.    

This time when the toys reached the unloading platform, they disembarked their space cruisers and exited through the Buzz Lightyear-themed gift shop.  Buzz cringed when he spotted a whole rack of action figures still in their signature spaceship boxes, lining the shelves on one wall. 

“They better stay in hyper-sleep,” he commented, remembering his experience at Al’s Toy Barn.  “We don’t have time for _that_ tonight.”

The pre-dawn sky was growing increasingly brighter on the horizon as the toys walked out into Tomorrowland.  Aware that they had less time to get back to their hotel than they had the night before, they quickened their pace as they crossed the bridge leading to the central hub of the park and made a left turn onto Main Street.  Once again they rushed past souvenir toys that were returning to the Emporium and waved a hurried goodbye to Mickey, who was standing at the door as always. 

When they came to the passageway leading out of the Magic Kingdom, Jessie paused.  She turned for a moment and gazed longingly down Main Street at the Castle.  Buzz paused as well when he felt the familiar tug on his hand. 

“You okay?” he asked, fearing something had upset her.

“Yeah,” she sighed halfheartedly.  “I just love this place.”

“I know,” the Space Ranger empathized.  “I do too.  But we have to go.” 

The couple caught up with their friends, and Bonnie’s five toys retraced their route back to the resort without any trouble.  They returned to the suite the same way as the previous morning and stashed the blow dryer in its hiding place, just in case they decided to attempt another adventure.  Bonnie slept soundly, dreaming pleasant dreams, and the five toys effortlessly resumed their places by her side.  They still had several days left in their vacation, and there were more exciting plans to be made.  But for now, they slept.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note to anybody who’s familiar with the Magic Kingdom: I’ve chosen to leave out the former Toontown/New Fantasyland section of the park. The way I imagine it based on the timing of the shorts, this is taking place in late 2011, when Toontown was already closed and New Fantasyland was not yet opened. I was there in January 2012, and the area was all behind construction walls. 
> 
> There are a couple more nods in here to the [deluded] Buzz at Disneyland commercials. See if you can find them! :)
> 
> Regarding the reference to driving the truck from Al’s to the airport – sure, I know Jessie, Woody, and Bullseye were present for the drive home on the luggage cart. But we don’t know for certain who drove that luggage cart, and it’s likely it was the same toys who drove the truck, since they would have had a basic working knowledge. Also, I know several attractions were excluded, but for the sake of time and moving the story forward, I just couldn’t take them on everything. Please forgive me if I left out a favorite – I happen to love Carousel of Progress, and it didn’t make the cut. ;)


	6. More Plans

“Good morning, sunshine!”

Bonnie Anderson fidgeted in her bed, trying to ignore the bright morning sunlight that flooded the room as soon as her mother threw aside the window’s heavy curtains. 

“Time to get up!  Unless you don’t want to go on a pony ride this morning, or to Animal Kingdom,” Mrs. Anderson teased, knowing that her daughter wanted very much to do both. 

Bonnie sat up groggily and rubbed her eyes, attempting to adjust to the light and process what her mother was telling her.  “A pony ride?”

“Yes, at Fort Wilderness.  Are you surprised?”  Bonnie nodded.  “They open in an hour, so you need to get dressed quickly.  I want us to be there early, so we have the rest of the day to have fun at the park.”   

“Can I take Woody and Jessie and Bullseye to see the ponies?  Please, Mommy?  Please?” the little girl begged. 

“No, sweetie, they need to stay here.  We’re not carrying them around the park after.”  Mrs. Anderson turned to walk away just as an audible groan escaped Bonnie’s lips.   “I heard that, young lady.”

Bonnie looked at her toys, who were tucked into bed cozily beside her.  “Sorry guys, I tried.”  She slid out of bed and pulled some clothes from her suitcase, before disappearing into the bathroom.

A flurry of activity followed as the family raced to ready themselves for their day.  While her parents waited at the door, bags in hand, Bonnie snatched her ear hat from the kitchen counter, plopped it on top of her head, and the Andersons were off on their next adventure.  

Once the coast was finally clear, the toys sat up on the bed and stretched.

“So where are we goin’ tonight?” Jessie was the first to speak up, excited and eager.

“Do we really have to go anywhere?”  Woody rubbed his face tiredly, still feeling the effects of the previous night’s outing.  “Can’t we just stay in for once and relax?”

Disappointment clouded Jessie’s features before quickly changing into determination.   “We’ve got three nights left and three more parks we haven’t seen yet.  I’m not gonna sit in a hotel room.  I wanna go explorin’!”

Woody sighed.  “I suppose we could go back to the Magic Kingdom,” he relented.  “But I really think we should take a night off.” 

“I’m with Jessie,” Dolly chimed in.  “The Magic Kingdom’s great, but we’ve been there twice already.  I say we venture out a little further, go someplace new.”

“Are you girls shrink-wrapped?” exclaimed Woody.   “None of the other parks are anywhere near as close as the Magic Kingdom.  It’s way too risky.  Buzz, are you gonna back me up on this?”

“I don’t know, Woody, I think we could do it, if we can find a way to get there besides walking.  Didn’t it say somewhere that the Monorail goes to Epcot as well?”

“Yeah, it did!  Lemme get a map!”  Jessie jumped down from the bed and sprinted to the banquette bench in the dining area, then up to the table where the family had left all their maps and pamphlets strewn about.  She grabbed what she needed and returned to her friends on the bed. 

Jessie spread out the resort map that the family had received at check-in.  Buzz knelt beside her, and the couple studied it carefully while Dolly and Bullseye looked on from the other side.  Woody sat apart from the others, still skeptical but listening.

“Lookit here.  This is where we are, at the Contemporary Resort.   If we can ride the Monorail to the Ticket and Transportation Center, we can hop another one to Epcot.” 

“Yes,” Buzz concurred.  “The monorail must make maintenance runs throughout the night.  If we can catch a ride, we can get there and back in no time.  Maybe ten minutes.”

“I reckon we could try Epcot tonight,” agreed Jessie.  “But how far are the others – and that Fort Wilderness place, with the horses?  Can we get to them too?”

Buzz examined the map meticulously, trying his best to calculate distance and traveling time with the limited information he had on hand.  Jessie wrung her hands as she looked over his shoulder, anxious to know how they’d be spending the remainder of their vacation.

“Well… it looks like Animal Kingdom is out of the question.  It sits far off by itself and I don’t see any easy way to get there.  I’m sorry, Jess, I know you would have liked to have seen the animals.”  He hated to let his girlfriend down, but he had to be realistic. 

“That’s okay, they’d be sleepin’ at night anyway,” the cowgirl reasoned, much to Buzz’s relief.  “But what about Hollywood Studios, or the Fort?  D’ya think we can get to them?” 

“I don’t think Hollywood Studios is very far from Epcot.  They appear to be connected by a resort area in between,” the Space Ranger pointed to the location of the Boardwalk and its adjacent hotels.  “If we start with taking the Monorail to Epcot tonight, and if it goes well, we can try Hollywood Studios tomorrow.”

“And the horses?”  Jessie asked hopefully.  Bullseye nodded, also wanting an answer to her question. 

“It’s possible,” replied Buzz.  “But it might be a little trickier in the dark.  We’d have to catch a boat to Fort Wilderness from the Magic Kingdom and look for trails to the stables.  We’ll have to see.”

Woody got up from the corner of the bed where he had been sitting and moved closer.  He glanced at the map before addressing his friends. 

“Okay, so if I decide to agree to this Epcot thing – which I’m not sure that I do – how do you suggest we get to the Monorail?  We can’t just walk into the Contemporary Resort, people will be coming and going in there late into the night.”

“We can go to the Monorail station at the Magic Kingdom.  We know the way there, and it’s not that much farther,” Dolly suggested.    

“And how are we supposed to keep track of the time?” the cowboy countered.  “We can’t take any chances when we have so much farther to travel.  We need a lot more to go by than just the sky.”

The toys thought for a moment before Jessie was struck with an idea.  “Take Bonnie’s watch.  I know she brought it with her, I saw her put it on this mornin.’”

“I guess that’ll work,” Woody reluctantly consented, as he stood and leisurely stepped toward the pillows.  “If we’re gonna attempt this crazy plan, we better all get some rest.”  The cowboy patted the mattress as an invitation for Bullseye to join him, and the horse willingly followed.   As Dolly headed to claim a spot on the pillows herself, Woody noticed Buzz and Jessie jump down from the foot of the bed and start walking in the direction of the bedroom door.

“Where do you two think you’re going?” he questioned, mostly joking. 

“We were going to nap in the bedroom, like we did the other day,” explained Buzz, searching for a suitable reason to give his friend.  “It’s… quieter… in there.”

“Sure it is.”  Woody raised an eyebrow and smirked at the couple.  “Get outta here.  Just make sure you listen for the family and the fireworks.”

Buzz and Jessie walked through the open door and shimmied up the comforter onto the huge bed.  It wasn’t as neatly made as it had been two days earlier, but it was still soft and comfortable, and they snuggled down against the plush pillows.  Jessie removed her hat and rested her head against Buzz’s chest, draped her arm across his waist, and he extended his arm to embrace her.

After several minutes of silence, Buzz’s eyes fluttered closed as he started to drift off to sleep.  Jessie, however, was restless.  Hoping that enough time had passed for the toys in the adjoining room to have fallen asleep as well, she lifted her head to face her dozing Space Ranger and began trailing soft kisses along his jaw line towards his ear.

Awakened by the unexpected sensation, a smile slowly formed on Buzz’s lips.  “Jess, what are you doing?”

“What d’ya think I’m doin’?” she whispered seductively, continuing her advances.

“Whoa, cowgirl.”  Buzz rolled onto his side to look Jessie in the eye.  She twisted her face in frustration as her plan met with failure.

“Why not, Buzz?  We haven’t had any time alone in goin’ on a week now, what with Christmas and travelin’ and all.  I’m about to go crazy.”

“Because they can hear us, that’s why not,” he reasoned. 

“But aren’t ya frustrated too?” Jessie pleaded. 

“Of course I am,” Buzz readily admitted.   “But we have to make the best of it, right?”  He pulled her closer.   “Besides, I already told you once I’d make it up to you later, and a Ranger always keeps his word.”  He kissed her tenderly on the forehead, then on her little button nose, then on the lips – a sweet gesture that was familiar to Jessie, something Buzz did often in their quiet moments.  However, the unsuspecting cowgirl hadn’t a clue that he was using it as a diversion this time, as his free hand stealthily slid down to her waist.  Before Jessie could respond any further to the kiss, Buzz tickled her mercilessly, and she giggled in her surprise.   

“Buzz!  Stop it!” she shrieked. 

“Sure _sounds_ a lot quieter in there,” Woody snickered from the other room. 

“Shut up, Woody,” Jessie snapped at her brother.  “He was ticklin’ me!”

“Uhhh huh,” the cowboy muttered.  “Likely story.”  Jessie scowled in the direction of the door. 

“Let it go, Jess,” Buzz chuckled.  He got comfortable on his side and she settled in alongside him, her back against his chest, his arms wrapped around her tightly.  The couple gave in to their fatigue, and slept soundly for the remainder of the day.

Again the Magic Kingdom fireworks served as the toys’ alarm clock and their cue that the family would soon return.  Jessie retrieved her hat and she and Buzz joined the others on Bonnie’s bed, but not before returning the maps to their original location on the table, not wanting to repeat the careless mistake they had made before.   The Anderson family soon returned, this time with a barely awake Bonnie, who wasted no time changing into her nightgown and collapsing into bed, exhausted.  Her parents both kissed her goodnight, and the little girl turned over and rested her arm on the row of toys that lay on the pillow beside her, right where she had left them that morning.

As soon as Bonnie’s steady breathing indicated she was asleep, and her parents’ room remained still and quiet, Woody deftly retrieved Bonnie’s wristwatch from the nightstand and the toys resumed the escape plan that had served them so well twice before.  They followed their usual path to the Magic Kingdom and were very relieved to see a Monorail still sitting at the station, as if it was waiting just for them.   Not daring to make a move without scanning the area first, the group peeked from behind a trash can to ensure they could proceed unnoticed, then scurried through one of the vehicle’s open doors into an empty car in the back.

The toys settled onto the sleek bench seats of the futuristic vehicle, enjoying the luxury of having the entire compartment to themselves.  They spread out so they could all have unobstructed views through the wide windows, Buzz and Jessie at one window together, and Woody, Dolly, and Bullseye taking the other three window seats.    Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait long before the Monorail’s doors began closing automatically and the recorded safety instructions played through the car’s speakers.

“Por favor manténganse alejado de las puertas," instructed the recording.

“Please stand clear of the doors,” Buzz translated.  His friends stared at him, amused.  “What?”

As the Monorail picked up speed and unfamiliar resorts came into view up ahead, the toys positioned themselves to get a better look.  Dolly perched on the back of the seat, while Bullseye balanced on his hind legs, his front hooves on the arm rest.  Buzz, Jessie, and Woody all stood and stretched to see, their fingers gripping the window frame. 

The reflections of the resort buildings on Seven Seas Lagoon rippled in the small waves that swept over the surface of the water.  The expansive Grand Floridian resort, white with a red turreted roofline and resplendent in Victorian gingerbread trim, soon came into view.  And on the lagoon side of the vehicle, the Wedding Pavilion sat along the shore, with the illuminated Castle visible across the waterscape in the distance.   The elegant buildings looked as much like a fairytale to the toys as had the Magic Kingdom.

After a brief stop at the Grand Floridian station, the vehicle continued onward to the Polynesian Resort.  Tall, A-line buildings resembling Pacific islands longhouses pointed sharply towards the night sky.  Lush tropical landscaping lit by blazing tiki torches further created the illusion of paradise.  And on the lake side, sandy white beaches, dotted with lounge chairs and striped cabana tents, stretched as far as the toys could see.    

The Monorail paused momentarily at the Polynesian resort’s station as well, before traveling to the Ticket and Transportation Center a short distance away.  When they pulled into the station of the transportation hub, the toys hesitated cautiously before exiting, then darted down the ramp and off to find the Epcot line. 

“Where do we go?”  Jessie asked, as the group came to a stop at the end of the exit ramp.

Buzz surveyed their surroundings.  “I don’t know.  But there must be signs.”   

“Hey!”  Dolly exclaimed, as she spotted the tall, purple sign towering over their head and pointed it out to her friends.   “That says ‘Magic Kingdom Monorail.’  We just need to find one that looks the same but says ‘Epcot Monorail.’”

They started walking to their right, only to come upon a matching sign reading ‘Magic Kingdom Ferryboat.’  Frustrated, but not yet discouraged, they headed back towards the Monorail ramp and continued past it in the other direction.

“There it is!” hollered Jessie, as the purple entrance archway to the Epcot monorail beckoned up ahead.  “Yeehaw!”  The cowgirl took off running, and the rest of the toys raced to catch up with her. 

Another ramp led up to the boarding platform of the Epcot Monorail station.  However, the toys were not quite as lucky this time as they had been at the Magic Kingdom.   There was no Monorail in sight – but fortunately, there were no humans either.   They stood as close to the track as they could and kept a lookout for approaching vehicles.

"I  knew this was a bad idea,” Woody mumbled.  “The Monorail is not gonna show up.  At least when it doesn’t, we can just go back to the hotel and relax.”

“Here it comes,” Dolly announced, spotting the headlight in the distance.  Woody groaned.

Again, the toys huddled behind a nearby trash can, as the Monorail slowed to a stop at the station.  They watched the doors open, and several maintenance workers exited the front car.  While the men gathered on the platform and discussed their work schedule for the night, the toys slipped unnoticed through the open gate and hurried towards one of the empty cars in the rear of the vehicle.  They hopped up onto the bench seats, and luckily had only a few minutes’ wait before the doors slid closed and the car’s speakers issued their warning to stand clear.  The Monorail traveled onward to Epcot, this time following the same path as the main road.  Since the darkness obscured any view they might have had from the windows, the group discussed their plans for the night. 

“Remember, we have to pay close attention to the time tonight, guys,” Woody stated, glancing at the wristwatch in his hands.  “We won’t be able to stay as late here as we did at the Magic Kingdom.  This Monorail is unpredictable.  I’d say we need to give ourselves at least two hours to get back.”

“Two hours?”  whined Jessie.  She sunk back into her seat and crossed her arms.  “Party pooper.” 

“I have to side with Woody on this one, Jessie.  We don’t want to cut ourselves too short on time.” Buzz interjected.  “Besides, there aren’t as many rides at Epcot as at the Magic Kingdom.  We can do it.”

“So, let’s decide now what rides we don’t want to miss,” Dolly suggested.   As the friends talked over the attractions they remembered from the map that morning, Woody eavesdropped apprehensively. 

“You’re not gonna get me on any more roller coasters, so don’t even try,” he chided.

“Relax, cowboy, Epcot doesn’t have coasters,” the rag doll replied, holding back a smirk.  “You need to stop worrying about everything and just have a good time.” 

Ten minutes had passed by the time they reached the end of the seven mile track.  But before the Monorail came to a stop at the station, the toys were surprised to see their ride continue and actually travel into the park.  As it looped around, they were able to get a glimpse of the areas in Future World that they wanted to explore – and were happy to discover that souvenir toys were out enjoying this park as well.

The Monorail eased to a stop at the Epcot station, and the toys darted out the automatic doors and down the ramp to the park entrance.  Already knowing that other toys were present, they confidently proceeded through the turnstiles.  Then, all of a sudden, their attention was drawn upward. 

“That looks like a giant golf ball!” gasped Jessie, gazing at the massive, shimmering globe directly in front of them.

“That’s Spaceship Earth.  It’s a geodesic sphere – an exceptionally strong geometric form,” Buzz explained. 

Woody scratched the back of his head nervously.  “It’s not gonna roll off its platform and bounce around, is it?  Cause that sounds like something you’d make me ride.”

“Didn’t you look at _any_ of Bonnie’s vacation planning stuff?” asked Dolly.

“Not really,” he shrugged.  “I didn’t think we’d actually get to come here.  She didn’t take any toys to Hawaii, so I really didn’t see the point.”

“Then any surprises are your own fault, cowboy,” the rag doll laughed, as Woody slumped and trudged along behind his friends.    

The five toys walked up the queue ramp and into the base of the gigantic sphere.   Inside they found angular blue cars traveling along a conveyor belt, and they carefully stepped onto the moving surface and boarded one of the vehicles.  As usual, Buzz and Jessie took the front seat together, with Woody, Dolly, and Bullseye in the seat behind.  They all looked curiously at the video screens that were in front of every seat, wondering what purpose they would serve on the ride.  As they entered a tunnel, their question was partially answered when a recording prompted them to touch an on-screen map to show where they lived.  The toys stood and stretched to make their answer, Bullseye giving Dolly a boost so she could reach.  Once their task was complete, they were fascinated to look up and see images of themselves on a video screen overhead.  Again a recording gave instructions, this time to focus on the screen and wait for the flash, which they did without thinking too much of it.  Then they sat back down in their seats as the ride traveled onward.   

The vehicle slowly ascended along a steep slope, deeper and deeper into the globe’s interior, and the dark, starry setting that enveloped them reminded them all of a calmer version of Space Mountain.  Their on-ride video screens went black as narration, and then audio-animatronic figures in elaborate scenes, chronicled the history of communication, from the earliest cave paintings to modern technology.  The toys watched the story unfold before them with rapt attention.    

A dramatic view of Earth from space signaled the end of the ride, and the vehicles rotated to face backwards for their gradual descent back to the bottom of the sphere.   The narrator continued to speak as they journeyed once more through starry space, until the video screens at their seats came to life, instructing riders to answer a few questions to see what their future lives might look like.  The toys enthusiastically complied, carefully selecting their responses and sneaking glances at each other’s screens.   Then, they waited as the computer processed their answers.

“Welcome to your future,” the video screen announced, as it showed animated images of a technologically-advanced world of tomorrow.  A robotic suitcase packed itself and rolled through a modern house, towards a waiting vehicle outside.  It was when the vehicle came into view that Jessie let out a loud squeal.

“Buzz!  Lookit!  That’s us!”  She gestured towards her screen, where their faces were superimposed on the cartoon-like bodies that sat in the passenger seats, while a dog bounced around outside.

The Space Ranger chuckled.  “That must have been what the flash was for.  They took our picture.”

As the couple watched their on-screen counterparts, they couldn’t help but smile.  But when the video concluded, Jessie’s smile was replaced with a thoughtful expression.  She turned to Buzz.

“Don’t ya wish it could be real?” she asked her boyfriend longingly.  “I mean, the house, the car, the dog – that life?” 

“You know I do,” he replied lovingly, looking at her with eyes full of understanding as he caressed the back of her hand with his thumb. 

“Here we are!”  Woody broke their reverie as the group approached the ride’s conclusion and their vehicle’s doors opened.  The toys climbed safely out onto the mobile platform and proceeded along the exit walkway to Project Tomorrow, a large room filled with innovative games and a giant map showing images generated by the questions they had answered.  Souvenir toys were scattered throughout the room, taking part in the activities.  Dolly pointed to the screen as they entered the area and familiar faces caught her eye.

“Hey, look, it’s the Lightyears!” She directed them to a larger-than-life image of Buzz and Jessie floating through space up above.  The couple grinned at each other.

“Where’s y’all’s picture?”  Jessie asked.  No sooner had she said it when Woody and Bullseye popped up on the screen, swimming undersea.  “Where’s Dolly?” the cowgirl asked.

“Guess I’m too short for the camera,” the rag doll replied, unfazed.   She scanned the room.  “Do we want to try any of these games?”

“Nah, I’m here for the rides!” Jessie answered.  “Let’s go!” 

The group headed to the door, agreeing that they needed to spend their time wisely.  When they reached the automatic doors, Buzz coached the others in what to do.

“On the count of three, jump.  One, two, three – “

The five toys jumped simultaneously and the doors slid open with ease.  They followed the signs and soon found themselves standing outside in the center of Future World, next to an impressive illuminated fountain that was shooting streams of water high into the starry sky above.  Encircled by buildings, they scanned the expansive environs and tried to gauge where they were in relation to the rides and which direction they should go first.  Woody glimpsed at the time on the wristwatch he still held in his hand, then consulted his best friend and navigator. 

“Where to next, Captain?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you were wondering… yes, there are pony rides at Disney World! And horseback trail rides from the Tri-Circle-D Ranch, where the horses they use for parades and carriages live. Also, I have no clue what the Monorail’s actual maintenance operation schedule is after hours. If this is something you have knowledge of, please forgive my ignorance.


	7. Epcot - Future World

Bonnie’s toys stood under the clear night sky, surrounded by the streamlined architecture and shining neon of Future World, looking over a park map they had discovered at a merchandise kiosk.  Before long, the toys had gotten their bearings and had a pretty good grasp on where the different rides were located in the first section of Epcot they were going to explore.   Jessie looked up from the map, and noticed one member of their party was missing.

“Where’s Bullseye?”  

The panicked cowgirl soon caught sight of the toy horse bouncing around happily a few yards away, trying to catch the dancing lights that were embedded in the pavement.  She whistled, and he looked at her sheepishly before trotting back over to join the group.     

Woody glanced again at the wristwatch he had borrowed from Bonnie.  “Okay, it’s just a little past 11 o’clock,” he advised, his voice hinting at his lingering uneasiness.  “I figure we need to be on the Monorail no later than 5 a.m., if we’re gonna be sure to get back to the hotel before sunrise.  So that gives us six hours.  We won’t be able to do everything.”

“Relax, Woody, we’ll only go on the rides we want to see the most,” Buzz reassured his friend, folding the map as he spoke and returning it to where they had found it.  He turned to the others.  “So, what do you want to do first?”

“How ‘bout Test Track?” Jessie suggested.  Dolly and Bullseye concurred.

Thinking back to his previous experiences on the rides that his friends had chosen, Woody was apprehensive.  “What’s Test Track?” he questioned.

“It replicates an automobile testing facility,” explained Buzz.  “I think you can handle it, cowboy.”

The group traveled in the direction of the signs leading to Test Track, following the breezeway past Innoventions East.   Souvenir toys were exiting a large store named Mouse Gear – the Epcot equivalent of the Emporium at the Magic Kingdom – and they greeted Bonnie’s toys as they strolled along.  As soon as they emerged on the other side of the walkway, they spotted the dramatic curving exterior of Mission Space.

Jessie tugged on her boyfriend’s arm.  “Oooh, Buzz, lookit!  Mission Space!  You wanna ride that first instead?”  

“No, we can go there next,” he replied, distracted, his eyes transfixed on the shimmering planets positioned in front of the building.  Jessie grinned at the reversal in their usual roles, as this time she was the one to give his hand a tug to nudge him along.

A loud rumbling sound could be heard high above the toys’ heads as they drew nearer to Test Track.  Woody looked up to try to discern the source of the sound, feeling a sense of dread that he had been tricked yet again.

“That wasn’t the ride, was it?” he asked nervously.

His friends ignored his question as they approached the entrance and found themselves in what looked and sounded like an automobile factory.  Crash-test dummies and car parts sat around in displays illustrating the various processes involved in designing and testing cars for safety.  The five toys glanced at the exhibits without stopping as they traveled the queue, not wanting to waste a minute of their precious time in the park.  When they finally reached the end of the line, they followed other toys into a smaller Briefing Room, where a video screen on the wall high above them began playing a film describing what safety tests they were to expect on the ride.  At the film’s conclusion, the toys exited into the boarding area to discover a plush Goofy, dressed as a crash-test dummy, manning the ride’s controls as toys climbed aboard cars. 

“I don’t like the sound of that surprise test,” Woody whispered to the others as they approached the loading platform.  “And Goofy in charge?  Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“It’s _fine_ , Woody!” replied Jessie, who was starting to get exasperated with her brother’s complaints.

Woody sighed and looked at the other toys boarding the ride vehicles.  Noticing that they were stashing any accessories they had into the on-ride bins, he looked at Bonnie’s watch in his hands and thought he better take care that it didn’t get lost or damaged. 

“Hey, Buzz, help me with this, will ya?  Buckle it around my waist.”  The cowboy held the watch face securely at his front, so that he could still read it, while his friend fastened the strap at his back.   

A ride vehicle slowed to a stop in front of them, and they waited while its passengers exited on the opposite side.  Buzz climbed into the car first, followed by the rest of Bonnie’s toys, taking up the three front-row seats with Bullseye in the middle.  Jessie and Woody stashed their hats in the storage bins at their feet, Buzz activated his helmet, and all made sure they were buckled in securely.  Soon the vehicle began moving forward. 

“Huh-hyuk!” laughed Goofy as he waved them on.  “Have fun!”

The car rounded a corner and started its ascent, traveling up a steep hill that resembled a road with guard rails on either side.    First was the rough road test, and Bonnie’s toys laughed as they were jostled on the bumpy surface.  Next, the brakes were tested, and the toys tensed and clutched their seats as the vehicle sped up and appeared to skid out of control, before braking successfully on another try.  The car then proceeded slowly through chambers testing extreme heat, cold, and what appeared to be corrosion. 

“Corrosives?  That can’t be good for plastic!”  Woody worried as a faint mist reached their vehicle.

“Do ya really think they’d be shooting corrosive substances at people?  Get real, Potsie, it’s just water,” Dolly chuckled. 

Finally, their car began to gradually pick up speed, as it rounded turns made to look like they were climbing winding mountain roads.  They entered a dark tunnel and shrieked as it appeared as if they were going to hit a truck head-on, only to veer to the side just in time. 

“Ready for barrier test,” the ride’s recording announced, as the car came to a stop.

“Barrier test?”  Woody mumbled.  “Oh no, that must be the surprise—“   

“Hang on tight!” the recording interrupted, as the car sped forward towards a closed door.  The toys braced themselves for impact, but were instead thrust through an open door and onto an outdoor speedway.

“Wooohooo!” Jessie squealed gleefully, as they rounded the first turn and rapidly accelerated.  Faster and faster, their vehicle rounded banked turns that circled the exterior of the ride building.  Buzz turned, as best he could while traveling at such a speed, to catch a glimpse of his girlfriend next to him, and couldn’t help but notice Woody on the other side of the car.  The Space Ranger smirked at the thought that his friend’s face looked very much like it had years ago, when they were racing after Andy’s moving truck on the back of RC. 

The ride slowed and returned to the loading platform.  Woody and Jessie retrieved their hats and Buzz retracted his helmet, before they disembarked the vehicle on the opposite side.  The five friends waved their thanks to Goofy at the controls and headed towards the corridor leading towards the exit.  They hurried past more factory scenes and a showroom with model cars, before coming at last to a large shop.  In the shop, they saw a group of toys standing by a counter and looking up at what appeared to be video screens. 

“Hey, look, they took photos on the ride!” exclaimed Dolly.  “Let’s see if we can find ours.”

The toys scanned the images that were flashing on the screens.

“There we are!”  Jessie pointed, then burst into laughter.  “Woody’s face!” she cried. 

In the photo, the cowboy’s face was stretched and contorted from the force of the ride.  Buzz and Dolly joined her in laughing, and Bullseye whinnied in amusement. 

“Ha, ha, very funny,” Woody muttered, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes.  “Force me to go on another thrill ride, then make fun of my misery.  What other torture do you have planned for me tonight?”

Buzz put an arm around his friend’s shoulders and shook him good-naturedly.  “The worst is over, cowboy,” he chuckled.  “Now, come on, let’s go to Mission Space,” the Space Ranger said to the others as they walked away from Woody and towards the door.

“Mission Space?  How is this worse than Mission Space?”  The cowboy slumped and trudged along after his friends.   

The group jumped simultaneously to open the shop’s automatic doors and exited into the crisp air.  Mission Space was only a short distance away, and they retraced their steps from earlier.  As they approached the building that housed the ride, Buzz stared in awe at the gleaming red planet looming ahead of them, and they soon realized that the planet concealed the entrance.  As they walked into the planet’s base, a sign announced that there were two versions of the ride. 

“ _Orange Team – More Intense Training_.  _Green Team – Less Intense Training_ ,” read Woody as they walked past.   “I’m on the Green Team!” he exclaimed in relief.

However, something lower on the warning sign caught Jessie’s eye.  ‘ _You should not ride either level if you are made uncomfortable by enclosed dark spaces.’_ Had Buzz not been so preoccupied at that moment with the anticipation of a space travel experience, he might have noticed the fear-stricken expression that suddenly clouded his girlfriend’s face. 

Once inside the International Space Training Center, Buzz was even more captivated.  Displays chronicling space travel lined the queue walkways, and once again, the group moved quickly so as not to waste any time – although Buzz lagged behind the others, trying to see as much as he could.  When they reached the point where they had to decide which team to participate in, they paused. 

“Okay, I’m doing the Green Team, no more intense rides for me,” Woody stated.  “Who’s with me?  Bullesye?”   The horse nodded and trotted over to the cowboy’s side. 

“I’ll ride with ya,” replied Dolly.  “I have no aspirations to be an astronaut.”

“I want the full experience, so I’ll choose Orange,” Buzz declared.  “Jess?  How about you?”  Just then he noticed the cowgirl staring blankly and tugging nervously on her braid, detached from their conversation. 

“Jessie?  You okay?”  He gently placed a hand on her shoulder and she jumped.

“Huh?” she snapped out of her trance.  “I’m f-fine.  What was the question?”

“Are you riding Orange with me, or Green with the others?” he asked, concerned by her sudden change in demeanor.

Jessie was torn.  She knew the tamer option might be easier on her claustrophobia, or she could even sit out the ride if she wanted to.  But she also knew that no one could calm her like Buzz could, and she didn’t want to miss out on sharing a moment that meant so much to him.  She looked down at her hands for a moment, wringing them anxiously as she willed herself to decide. 

“I’ll go with Buzz,” she finally answered, forcing a smile.  

The two groups decided to meet up at the exit afterwards, and went their separate ways.  Jessie took Buzz’s hand for comfort, while he still looked around, fascinated with the surroundings.  As they approached the boarding area, a video began to play overhead, briefing them on the simulated flight training that awaited them.  Jessie tried to focus on the film and forget her worries.  Then, the video repeated what she had read on the sign at the entrance: 

“Those who are made uncomfortable by enclosed dark spaces or simulators should bypass this experience.”

Buzz turned toward her.  “Is that why you were upset back there?  Jessie, why didn’t you tell me?  I don’t want you to go on a ride that’ll upset you.   We – we can sit this out.”

Jessie saw the pain and worry in her Space Ranger’s eyes.  He would never let anything hurt her, even if it meant giving up the one ride he was looking most forward to in all of Disney World.  She knew how much he loved her, and she wasn’t going to force him to make this sacrifice.    

“No.  I’m not lettin’ you miss this.  I can handle it,” she resolved.

“Are you sure?”  Buzz still wasn’t convinced. 

“Yes, I’m sure, ‘cause I don’t want to miss seein’ you fly through space.  Now, you better be payin’ attention to the instructions or you won’t know what to do in your spaceship, Captain,” she teased.

They watched the remainder of the briefing video and followed the hallway leading to the ride cabins.  All of the toys who were waiting to ride stepped onto numbered circles on the floor, dividing them into teams of four.  Another video briefed them on their mission to Mars and their specific roles:  Navigator, Pilot, Commander, and Engineer.  When the cabin door opened, they climbed up into their seats – Buzz found himself the Pilot, Jessie the Navigator.   Once they were seated, her hat stashed in the storage compartment and their safety harnesses pulled into place (for what good they would serve a toy), Jessie felt a sense of relief.

“It ain’t that dark in here after all,” she observed happily.  “And not so closed in either, for a toy.”     

Glowing screens and beeping buttons on the instrument panel in front of them created a realistic looking cockpit, and a window provided a view of where they were headed. Within moments, a countdown launched them into the sky, and intense G-forces made it seem as if they were truly rocketing upward.  Jessie looked over at Buzz and smiled at the pure delight that filled his whole countenance as they reached space and began to feel weightless.    

“Pilot:  Engage second stage rockets now,” the ride’s recording instructed, and Buzz stretched to push the correct button and complete his task. 

Next, it was Jessie’s turn.  “Navigator:  Fire rockets for lunar orbit insertion, now.”   She did as she was told.  However, their flight was not destined to be trouble-free.  A meteor storm was blocking their path to Mars, and the Pilot had to steer them through the treacherous field.  Jessie immediately got caught up in the excitement, forgetting that it was only a ride.

“Buzz!  Watch out!” she yelled, as they dodged the meteors that appeared to be hurtling straight towards them.    

“I know what I’m doing!” the Ranger retorted sharply, focused on his task.

The Navigator was then ordered to fire rockets, which Jessie did, as they approached their landing on Mars.  All crew members were instructed to utilize their control sticks to steer the spacecraft through the planet’s canyons.  The toys reached with all their might and followed orders, bringing them to a safe landing and completing their mission. 

As soon as the doors opened, the toys released their restraints and Jessie grabbed her hat, and she and Buzz hurried down the exit passageway to meet up with their friends.  They saw Woody, Dolly, and Bullseye standing in the midst of the interactive Space Base area at the end of the corridor. 

Woody ran up to his sister as soon as he saw the couple approaching.  “Jessie, are you okay?  When we heard the warning about enclosed, dark spaces, we were worried about you.”

“I’m fine!”  the cowgirl laughed, feeling more like her exuberant self now that she had enjoyed the ride. 

“More than fine, she’s an honorary Space Ranger now,” Buzz added, beaming with pride. 

“Alright, then, Lightyears, where are we going next?” Woody snickered.  Jessie giggled and playfully punched her brother in the arm.  Buzz lingered for a moment, gazing at his cowgirl with a far-off look in his eyes, as they strolled toward the ride’s souvenir shop and the doors leading outside.

“How ‘bout Nemo?” suggested Jessie.  “I’d like to see the aquarium.”

“Nemo it is,” Woody agreed.  Dolly and Bullseye nodded their consent, but Buzz remained silent.  “You still lost in space there, Ranger?” 

“What? Oh, yeah, Nemo, sure,” he stuttered.  He reached out to entwine Jessie’s fingers in his own, and she smiled warmly at him when she felt his touch.   

The group crossed the central hub of Future World, traveled past the fountain and Innoventions West, and turned to the right towards the Seas.  As they approached the colorful building, with sweeping details resembling waves and sea life and water splashing amongst the rocks out front, the audioanimatronic seagulls perched on the rocks caught notice of the toys.   

“Mine!  Mine!  Mine!” the gulls squawked.  Woody looked over his shoulder as he walked past.  “Mine!” one seagull screeched loudly in his direction, and the cowboy flinched and grabbed hold of his hat, certain that the birds would break free of their tether and fly at him. 

Bonnie’s toys entered the building and followed the queue, which made them feel like they were at the beach as it snaked along the sand dunes.   In no time they had reached the boarding area where seashell-shaped ‘Clamobiles’ moved continually along a conveyor belt.  The five friends split into their usual groups – Buzz and Jessie in one car; Woody, Dolly and Bullseye in another – and stepped cautiously onto the moving platform before clambering into the ride vehicles and securing the safety doors. 

Scenes from _Finding Nemo_ came to life before them, and they watched, enchanted, as they traveled deep into the ocean.  The toys remembered watching the film with Bonnie and recognized the characters and storyline instantly.  Colorful fish swam amongst the coral as Marlin searched frantically for his son with Dory’s help.  The ride became slightly more ominous as jellyfish bobbed overhead and the vehicles were plunged into the darkest depths of the sea.  A gasp could be heard from behind Buzz and Jessie’s clamshell as they passed the monstrous, glowing angler fish, and Jessie smirked at Buzz.

“Guess even Nemo is too much for Woody,” the Space Ranger joked.

“I heard that!” Woody called, making Jessie and Buzz chuckle.

Soon the Clamobiles entered a tunnel of swirling bubbles, representing the EAC.  Crush and Squirt surfed the current as the bubbles swirled faster, making the toys feel as if their slow-moving vehicles had actually picked up speed. 

On the other side of the EAC tunnel, Nemo was reunited with Marlin and the other characters from the story, and they all appeared to swim together with the real fish in the Seas’ aquarium.  As they drew near to the ride’s conclusion, Peach the starfish pleaded to the passing visitors from her post on the glass aquarium wall. 

“Wait!  Take me with you!  I mean, it’s a nice song, but they just never stop.  I mean, never.  Never, ever, ever,” she whimpered.  “Help!  Find a happy place!  Find a happy place!”

Jessie lunged forward in her seat, alarmed.  “We gotta do somethin’!  That critter needs help!” 

Buzz grinned at her genuine concern and placed a calming hand on her knee.  “Jess, it’s okay, that starfish is just a projection.  It’s part of the ride.”

“Are ya sure?” she replied skeptically, staring at him with wide eyes.  “Looked awful real to me.”

He laughed softly and kissed her forehead.   “I’m positive.” 

The vehicles soon arrived at the unloading area, and the five friends carefully exited their Clamobiles and stepped off of the moving platform.  Turning the corner, they found themselves standing in the midst of Sea Base Alpha, an expansive space designed to resemble an oceanic research center, surrounded by giant aquariums and sea life exhibits on all sides.  Jessie immediately darted to the nearest glass wall to look at the fish swimming inside.  

“Jessie, we have to go!” Woody reminded her, while checking the time on the watch around his waist.  Taking one last look at the fish, she hurried to catch up with her friends.  As they wandered past a souvenir shop on their way out of the building, a plush Crush called to them.

“Duuudes.  Have an totally awesome night!”

Once outside, the toys scanned their surroundings to see what else was nearby. 

“It looks like that’s The Land,” Dolly pointed to their right.  “Isn’t Soarin’ in there?  We have to ride that.” 

The others agreed, and the five friends hiked up the incline leading to The Land.  As they entered the building, they were met with whimsical, colorful balloons and streamers suspended from the ceiling.  They followed the toy crowd along the walkway to the right until they came upon a stationary staircase and an escalator, side by side, leading to the lower level. 

“Why don’t we just take the stairs?” Woody suggested.  “Stairs are much safer.”

“Nah, this is quicker!  C’mon!”  Jessie grasped Buzz’s hand tightly and leapt onto the escalator, dragging the space toy alongside her until they came to a stop on a single step.  Bullseye crouched down and sized things up before he jumped onto the step behind the couple, with Dolly joining them right after.  Seeing now that there was no cause for alarm, Woody took a deep breath and moved forward.

“Hey, this isn’t so bad!” exclaimed the cowboy, stepping onto the top edge of the escalator.  But in a moment the once-flat surface began to separate into two steps, and Woody felt his legs being stretched in different directions.  He grabbed frantically at the side wall only to feel his hands slide down the slick surface.   As he struggled to maintain his balance, he felt a tug on either side of his waist as Buzz and Jessie pulled him forward onto the step with them.

“Only _you_ can turn an escalator into a thrill ride, cowboy,” Dolly kidded.  "We rode one in Tomorrowland, to get to the People Movers, don't you remember?"  

"Yeah, but that one was flat!" Woody snapped.  "It didn't have these crazy moving stairs."

Once the group had descended to the lower level, they surveyed the area for the ride they had come to see.

“There it is!” Jessie shouted, as she spied a large, illuminated sign reading _Soarin’_ hanging overhead and just to the right.  The toys headed in the direction of the ride’s entrance and soon found themselves traversing the long, concrete queue to the boarding area.  Tall walls towered above them on either side, and on one side giant video screens showed scenes of nature that entertained human guests during regular operating hours.  As they approached the end of the queue, swooping neon and gleaming metal suggested the flight theme awaiting them.

Bonnie’s toys could see boarding areas to the left and right, and not knowing where to go, they waited until a group of souvenir toys caught up with them and could direct them where to go.  After thanking the toys for their advice, they headed down the path to the left, and stopped when they came to other toys standing in numbered aisles, waiting to board.  They chose an aisle with enough spaces left to accommodate the five of them and watched the instructional video for the ride that was showing on video screens overhead.

The doors soon opened, and the toys entered a spacious room housing three long rows of seats suspended under canopies, resembling giant hang gliders.  They followed along behind the other toys and climbed up into the seats, Bullseye giving Dolly a helping nudge upward with his muzzle.  Buzz and Jessie buckled themselves into a seat together, while Woody snapped Bullseye’s seatbelt before settling into another seat shared with Dolly.

The room suddenly went dark, and the gliders gently jerked upward.  When the enormous, circular movie screen in front of them illuminated, the toys observed that they were in the middle row, and it looked as if they were floating through the clouds.  Buzz wrapped his arm around Jessie and she snuggled down, her head on his shoulder.

The gliders began to move smoothly in synchronization with scenes depicting the California landscape, and a sense of freedom enveloped the toys as they felt a slight breeze touch their faces.  They were enthralled as they soared over mountains, oceans, desert, and orange groves, smelling pine, salt air, and citrus with each one.  The ride reached its grand finale as they flew down Main Street USA at Disneyland, right above the parade and up to the castle, just in time to see the fireworks explode dramatically in the night sky. 

Once again the room went dark and the gliders lowered back to their original positions.  Buzz jumped down first, then reached up to grasp Jessie by the waist to help her down from the glider.  Woody descended next, while Bullseye wriggled free of his seatbelt and hopped to the floor so that Dolly could use him as a step to get down from the high seat.

The group hurried along the exit ramp and into the open area of the lower level of the Land.  When they came to the escalator leading upstairs, they leapt onto the bottom step and looked back at Woody, who still stood on the lower level.

“Again?” Woody groaned.  “Okay, but this better be the last time.” 

He stepped cautiously onto the bottom step of the escalator and steadied himself.  The toys quickly reached the top floor and headed out into the chilly night.  As they turned to the right and traveled onward, Jessie spotted another building in the distance.

“What about that Imagination stuff?” Jessie asked, gesturing toward the colorful, angular structure.  “There’s a ride, and that _Captain EO_ movie, can’t we go there?”

Woody consulted the watch that was still fastened around his middle.  “We’re running out of time, Jess.  If you want to see the countries, we need to move on now.”  Jessie sighed, disappointed, but accepted his decision. 

The five friends followed the pathway out of Future World and turned the corner into World Showcase.  They were about to embark on the closest thing to an international tour that a toy could ever hope to experience. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured the break between Future World and World Showcase would be a natural stopping point. Also,I have yet to go on Mission Space, so please excuse any errors in my description of the ride; I watched videos to get it as accurate as possible. And forgive me if I left out any of your favorites!


	8. Epcot - World Showcase

The toys strolled onward in the direction of Showcase Plaza, the gateway to the nations of World Showcase.   A large lagoon, around which all the countries’ pavilions were arranged, glimmered in the distance, the lights that lined the buildings reflecting off of its surface.  

“What all is there to do in this part again?” Jessie asked, trying to recall what she’d seen on the map earlier that night.

“It’s mostly shops, restaurants, and films for each country,” replied Buzz.  “But there are rides in the Norway and Mexico pavilions.”

“Mexico…” Jessie mumbled softly to herself, her mind wandering.

“Rides?” questioned Woody.  “I thought we were done with rides.” 

“They’re just boat rides, Woody,” the Space Ranger sighed.   Even he was growing weary of the cowboy’s constant worrying. 

“Fine, but that’s all we really have time left to do.  We can walk past all the countries and go on the rides once, but then we have to head back to the Monorail.  We can’t – “

“Miss the Monorail.  We KNOW,” Jessie groaned. 

The five friends turned the corner towards the first country and traveled by a group of plush bears standing at the water’s edge near a shop.  The light-brown bears all looked the same except for the outfits they wore, representing the different nations of Epcot and famous characters.  Jessie couldn’t help but notice that one of them wore a very familiar spacesuit.    

“Aww, a Buzzy bear!   I think I’ll call you that.  Buzzy Bear,” the cowgirl giggled.

“I’d rather you didn’t,” said Buzz dryly. 

Before she could tease her spaceman any more, the toys suddenly found themselves in the first pavilion.  They looked up in awe at the magnificent structure that was the focal point for the Canadian section of the park, the Hotel du Canada, an elegant stone structure resembling a 19th century chateau, pointing impressively toward the starry sky.  Their trance was soon broken when Jessie took off in a sprint towards the stairs at the base of the stately building.

“Let’s go explorin’!” 

“Jessie, wait!”  Buzz called out to his girlfriend, as he and the other toys hurried to keep up with her.

The cowgirl quickly climbed the multiple flights of concrete stairs and raced past a shop in the style of a rough-hewn northwest frontier mercantile.  She gave a passing glance to a group of plush moose and bears clad in red-and-black-plaid flannel clothing, who were standing next to the shop’s towering totem poles, enjoying the night air.  Once she reached the top, she darted between maritime cottages on her left and the Hotel du Canada on her right, back towards a rocky mountain with a waterfall.  As she stood admiring the scenery, a pretty porcelain doll about Jessie’s height, wearing a high-collared dress with long, full sleeves and her bright red hair in two long braids, walked up to the cowgirl and greeted her.

“Isn’t the waterfall beautiful, all silvery and sparkling in the moonlight?  It’s as if fairies are dancing in it.  Oh, I know there aren’t really fairies, but I can _imagine_ there are.  There’s so much scope for the imagination in something as picturesque as a waterfall,” the red-haired doll prattled on.  “I’m sorry!  Don’t mind me, I’m always told I talk too much.  My name’s Anne – Anne with an e, if you please.  Are you new around here?  I’ve never met another toy with red hair like mine, and braided too!”

“I’m Jessie,” she responded warmly.  “Glad to meetcha!  I’m on vacation here with my friends.  You from around these parts?”

“Oh yes, I’m from Prince Edward Island.  Well, I’m really from that shop over there,” she gestured to the rustic Trading Post behind them.  “But I like to _dream_ that I’m really from Prince Edward Island.”       

“There you are!”  Buzz shouted as he approached the two redheads, who were happily chatting by the railing.   “This section of the park is dark, Jessie, don’t run off like that again,” he chided, before realizing his lapse in manners.  “Pardon the interruption, ma’am,” he addressed Anne politely.  “Buzz Lightyear, at your service.”

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, sir,” the doll replied, then turned to her new friend and whispered.  “Jessie, is he your beau?”

“Sure is,” the cowgirl answered proudly, reaching for Buzz’s hand.

“Oh, how wonderful to have a beau!  All I have is Gilbert, and he’s an awful nuisance.”  Anne looked askance at a male porcelain doll in a newsboy cap and knickers, leaning against a nearby wall.  He winked at her, and she quickly turned her head and rolled her eyes in disgust.  “Can you believe, he called me _Carrots_!  How utterly unromantic!”

Buzz and Jessie shared a glance, before the Space Ranger spoke.  “If I may offer some insight, maybe he just doesn’t know how to show his feelings.  Give him a chance.  I messed up quite a few times over the years, but things have a way of working out.”  He smiled affectionately at his cowgirl. 

A shrill whistle shattered their silence.  The couple turned to see Woody, Dolly and Bullseye waiting at the top of the staircase next to a red phone booth, the cowboy waving his arms in aggravation.

“We best be movin’ on,” Jessie said regretfully.  “It’s been real nice talkin’ with ya.”

Anne nodded.  “I’m happy we met.  I can tell you’re a kindred spirit, and not just because of your hair.” 

The girls waved their goodbyes and Buzz and Jessie joined the rest of Bonnie’s toys.  As they descended the stairs, Woody scowled and lectured his sister. 

“We don’t have time to explore and talk to the toys in every country, Jessie!  I’m not sure we have enough time for the rides as it is.”

The cowgirl, however, was not paying attention.  She was distracted by a photo-op at the base of the stairs, a wooden panel with cut-outs for faces to peer through, painted like figures from a totem pole. 

“Over there,” she pointed, as they detoured in the direction of the panel.  “Buzz, lemme up on your shoulders.” 

The space toy knelt and lifted her easily, until she was able to reach the lowest opening and peek through it.  “Yoohoo!” she called to her friends.

“Ha!” Dolly exclaimed.  “Where’s Ken with his camera when you need him?  Ca-click!”

Woody exhaled impatiently and walked on ahead of the rest of his group.  The other toys just shrugged and followed along, deciding not to let the cowboy’s mood dampen their spirits.    

The rustic frontier of the Canada pavilion gave way to a completely different setting as the five friends approached the United Kingdom pavilion, where quaint streetscapes were lined with familiar architectural styles spanning three centuries of British history.  On their right, thatched-roof cottages and taller half-timbered buildings stood alongside more regal stone structures of the nobility, and to their left, next to the lagoon, sat the Rose and Crown Pub.  Toys were strolling along the sidewalk, heading behind a thatched cottage where lively music could be heard.

Jessie heard the music and once again couldn’t resist the urge to explore.   While Woody kept walking on, more concerned with the passage of time than his surroundings, Jessie, Buzz, Dolly and Bullseye slipped away toward the direction of the music.  As they rounded the corner, they spotted a toy quartet performing in a gazebo-shaped grandstand, with a sea of dancing toys in front of them.

“It’s a party!  Oooh, Buzz, let’s go dance!  C’mon!” the cowgirl pleaded.

“Heh, Jessie, you know I can’t dance to that kind of music,” the Space Ranger laughed nervously. 

“Who cares?  Not like we’ll ever see these toys again.  Let’s have some fun!”  She tugged at her boyfriend’s hand, trying to pull him in the direction of the crowd.

“I’ll dance,” Dolly piped in.  “Let Buzz watch Bullseye – “

“Again?”  Their discussion was interrupted by a very annoyed cowboy doll.  “You’re lucky I found you so quickly!  Didn’t I say there was no time for exploring?  We have to get going or there will be NO rides!” 

Jessie stood defiantly, ready to pounce on her brother.   “What is your problem?  What harm is dancin’ to one measly little song gonna do?”

Woody stood his ground.  “It’s gonna make us that much more in danger of not getting back to the hotel in time, THAT’S what it’s gonna do!” he yelled. 

Buzz stepped in between the warring siblings.  “Enough, both of you!  You’re wasting even more time fighting.  I promise, Woody, we will stay on course the rest of the night.  Jessie, I’m sorry, we’ll have to skip the dancing.  Maybe we’ll find a party another night, okay?”

The cowgirl looked down dejectedly and nodded in resignation.   Buzz placed a finger under her chin and gently raised her head to meet his gaze.  He smiled tenderly, and she returned the smile.  “Now, let’s go see the rest of the world,” he added, as he took her hand.

It was just a short distance from the United Kingdom pavilion to the bridge that led into France.  Soon the mansard roofline of Paris during La Belle Epoque came into view, with an illuminated Eiffel Tower rising high above the scene.   Souvenir toys meandered along walkways leading to sidewalk cafes and gift shops, and a low fountain adjacent to Les Chefs de France restaurant caught Jessie’s attention as they approached.   She loosened her grip on Buzz’s hand and hopped up onto the wall of the fountain, balancing as she walked, teetering above her friends on the ground beside her.  The Space Ranger watched her anxiously, extending his arms in preparation to catch her should she lose her footing.

“Careful, Jessie, you don’t want to fall in and get wet,” he cautioned.  Jessie pretended to stumble and giggled as her boyfriend’s eyes widened in alarm.  Then, her higher vantage point suddenly paid off as she noticed another member of their group veering from the path, in the direction of the bakery, where the tantalizing smell of pastries being prepared for the coming day was wafting out into the open air. 

“Sweet Mother of Abraham Lincoln!  Bullseye!” she hollered.  She leapt from the wall and went after the toy horse, who was following his nose yet again.  “Oh no ya don’t, ya little varmint!”  The horse stopped in his tracks and Jessie led him back to rejoin the others.  “What is it with you and bakeries, huh?  You gotta stop wanderin’ off!  If I can’t go explorin’, neither can you.”    

In moments they had left France and had entered the Morocco pavilion, which resembled an Arabian city.  A tall minaret silhouetted dramatically against the night sky, soaring above the pavilion’s courtyard and its fountain below, and colorful tile mosaics embellished many of the carved plaster structures.  Keyhole archways invited visitors deeper into the city and its souk, or marketplace, where souvenir toys gathered and socialized. 

But just as they had in France, the five toys hastened through Morocco, pausing only to look as they headed toward the next country.  Woody glanced often at the watch around his waist, picking up his pace as their time in the park grew shorter.

When the majestic blue-roofed pagoda of the Japan pavilion came into view, however, even Woody slowed, as memories of his brief time in Al’s apartment flooded his mind.  Japan.  How different his life would have been – how different all of the toys’ lives would have been – if he had made another choice back then.  He stopped next to the Mitsukoshi Department Store, from whence many toys were coming and going, to take it all in.  

“So this is what Japan looks like!”  Jessie remarked as she surveyed her surroundings, which included a replica of a feudal palace, a fortress and a red-painted torii gate in the lagoon.  Traditional Japanese landscaping furthered the serene atmosphere.   “Hey, fellas, we finally made it to Japan!”  she teased Woody and Bullseye.  “Can ya imagine?  We could’ve lived someplace like this.”

“I, for one, am glad you never made it there,” Buzz interjected, wrapping an arm around his girlfriend’s waist.

“Oh, Buzz,” Jessie laughed, leaning into his embrace.  “You know I am too.  I’m just s’posin, that’s all.”

“Do you two never stop?” Woody scoffed and rolled his eyes, and Dolly smirked. 

“Hey, I would have missed my best friend too,” Buzz retorted.  “Although I don’t know why tonight,” he added under his breath.  Jessie snickered. 

Despite the brief distraction, Bonnie’s toys didn’t linger in Japan for long before moving on to the next pavilion, which represented America.  A massive red brick building in the Colonial Georgian style stood to their right, and on the left, past the open-air theater that sat beside the lagoon’s edge, they could see that they were directly across from Spaceship Earth and were at the midpoint of World Showcase.   As Buzz, Jessie, Dolly and Bullseye halted to admire the breathtaking sight – the giant sphere across the water, framed by the lights from the various nations encircling the lagoon – Woody snapped them back to reality.

“No time to gawk at the view, we’re only halfway there.  Keep movin’!”

The Venetian grandeur of Renaissance Italy unfolded before them as they arrived at another pavilion.  An expansive central plaza, accented with a lofty campanile, was bordered by columned architecture in a light palette of warm hues with classical detailing.  Along the lagoon, bridges reminiscent of Venice arched over gondolas anchored to colorful poles in the water.  Yet again, Woody ushered them along rapidly, as they craned their necks and tried to notice what they could as they sped past. 

A miniature train chugged through a tiny model village on their right as they approached the next nation.  The German pavilion soon came into view, in the style of a 16th century Bavarian town surrounding a cobblestone square.  Charming painted designs and armored statues decorated the building’s facades and an imposing fountain sat in the center, while the turrets of a castle and a clock tower loomed overhead.  Traditional oom-pah band music could be heard coming from the Biergarten in the rear of the pavilion, and in its melodies Jessie recognized a familiar sound.   

“Yodelin’!  They’re yodelin’ in there, I can hear it!” she squealed.  “Please Woody, lemme go listen.  I’ll jus’ be a minute.”

“NO!”  the cowboy exclaimed, causing his sister to flinch in surprise at his force.  He softened at the look of disappointment on her face.  “I’m sorry, Jess, but there’s no time.  It’s either the yodeling, or the rides, not both.  Your choice.”

She looked at the others and sighed.  The cowgirl knew the music in the Biergarten was something only she was truly interested in.  “Let’s go on the rides,” she decided.

The five friends hurried onward to China, which was the final pavilion before they reached the rides.  Even at their hurried pace, the toys couldn’t help but notice the brilliantly-colored structures – predominantly bold red, gold, and blue – reminiscent of ancient China.  A huge ceremonial gate stood in the forefront and a dramatic circular prayer temple towered in the background, with tranquil Chinese water gardens filling the space in between. 

It was only a short stroll before Bonnie’s toys reached the Norway pavilion, where the rustic timber and stone buildings of a Scandinavian village surrounded a central plaza.  They wasted no time and made a beeline for the entrance of Maelstrom, the boat ride, which sat in the rear of the little courtyard.   Lilting waltzes trailed out of the Akershus banquet hall, where princess dolls and their princes danced the night away in regal style.  Troll dolls of all shapes and sizes – prominent figures of Norse folklore and mythology – wandered in and out of the shops and across the town square. 

When they passed the Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe,  Jessie watched Bullseye turn his head in and swerve in the direction of the bakery, but she was prepared this time and grabbed hold of his saddle.

“Tarnation, Bullseye!   You’re gonna get me in trouble!  You stay with us!” she reproached.  Bullseye licked her cheek in apology, and the cowgirl smiled and patted his head.    

The sound of rushing water from a nearby waterfall could be heard as the five friends entered the building for Maelstrom and followed its winding queue.  The line moved quickly and soon they were at the loading platform, where a troll figure was directing riders onto boats which resembled small Viking ships.  As they waited their turn to board, Jessie studied the giant mural, highlighting scenes from Norwegian culture, that decorated the wall behind the boats.  Suddenly, something made her laugh.

“Buzz, lookit!  Up in that boat picture!  That one’s wearin’ Mickey ears!”

“In the Viking ship?” he asked, as he scrutinized it himself, then chuckled as he found what his girlfriend had spotted. 

Before long the toys were boarding their own boat and gliding forward, a bright light beckoning and narration inviting them to journey deeper into the history and traditions of Norway.

“Those who seek the spirit of Norway face peril and adventure,” it spoke, “but more often find beauty and charm.”

“Peril?” Woody muttered.  “Not again!“

Their boat was shrouded in darkness as it traveled into scenes of the country’s heritage, and Jessie clung a little more tightly to Buzz, affected more by the darkness than any concern over the ride itself.  They passed depictions of ancient seafaring Vikings, then entered a wild forest populated with the trolls of legend.  The mythical beings began to threaten the passers-by for intruding into their land.

“Disappear!”  A giant troll with glowing eyes popped up alongside the boat and Woody jumped what felt like a foot above the bench seat.  “Over the falls!” it taunted again, as the boat plummeted – backwards – down a short yet noticeable drop.  The cowboy screamed as he slid in his seat.     

The boat then picked up speed as it traveled through more dioramas of Norway’s past.  Polar bears growled in an icy landscape before the boat emerged into a rocky setting, lush with greenery and waterfalls.  Unexpectedly, another troll appeared out of the seemingly- harmless rocks to mock the riders, and the boat plunged downward – forward this time, and much to Woody’s chagrin – and splashed into the midst of a storm battering modern oil rigs offshore.   Their ride concluded in a recreation of a present-day coastal village, and the riders exited onto a platform that led into a large theater. 

“No movies, keep walking,” Woody ordered, as they dashed in between the screen on the wall and the front row of seats, then onward through the gift shop to the exit.  The toys walked back outside, through the village square, and passed the historic wooden Stave Church on their right as they traversed the short distance to Mexico, the last pavilion in World Showcase. 

This final pavilion did not disappoint.  Cantinas lined the lagoon side on their left, and a towering Aztec stepped pyramid, rising high above a flight of stairs, stood on their right, enveloped in verdant jungle landscaping.  The five friends ascended the stairs and followed other toys through doors on the side of the pyramid, which led inside and into a gallery of traditional Mexican arts and crafts.  Ahead of them and down a ramp they could see an inviting open-air market – the Plaza de Los Amigos –illuminated by lanterns and street lamps as if it were twilight.  Spirited mariachi music created a celebratory atmosphere, both for the stands of souvenir merchandise that filled the space and the restaurant that overlooked the boat ride hidden to the rear of the building, where another pyramid stood.     

As they proceeded through the festive marketplace, Jessie became lost in thought.  She couldn’t help but wonder, would Mexico have an effect on Buzz’s Spanish Mode in the same way that Spain did?  Ever since their Sunnyside escape a year and a half earlier, Jessie had been intrigued by this mysterious, bolder side to her spaceman.  Sure, they didn’t _need_ Spanish Mode; the couple got along just fine romantically without it.  But nevertheless, there was no harm in spicing things up a little every now and then and letting Buzz’s latin lover side come out, lessening some of his formal Space Ranger inhibitions.  The couple didn’t see anything wrong with it, since it affected his personality only partially; he knew who he was all the while and remained completely Jessie’s Buzz.  Here, in the pavilion, Jessie figured that musical styles were different and even the Spanish dialect was probably different as well, but it was still worth a try.  Her daydream came to an abrupt halt when they reached the queue for the ride and Woody spoke.   

“I am done with boats,” he stated, still reeling from Maelstrom.  “If the rest of you want to go on, fine, but you only have time to ride once.  It’s already quarter ‘til five, and we have to be AT the Monorail station in fifteen minutes.  We gotta start heading back.  I’ll wait here at the exit.”

“Party pooper!” kidded Jessie, as she and Buzz, Dolly and Bullseye entered the short queue for the Gran Fiesta Tour.  At the loading dock, a plush Donald Duck in a sombrero was controlling the boats, which were fairly empty this close to morning.  An idea brewed in Jessie’s mind and she waved to him as they approached. 

“Hey, Mister Duck, can ya hook us up with a private boat?” she asked in a loud whisper as she gestured to Buzz.  Dolly overheard and looked at her incredulously.

“What are you planning there, cowgirl?” she smirked.

“Nothin’,” Jessie replied, with a wink that belied the innocence in her voice.

Donald nodded, and ushered Dolly, Bullseye, and the remaining souvenir toys who were waiting in line onto the current boat.  He pointed to the empty boat behind it and quacked merrily at Jessie’s mischief.   

Buzz stepped onto the boat first, then held out his hand to assist his cowgirl on board, and they settled into a seat in the middle.  The boat floated along a river that led between the San Angel Inn restaurant on their right and an image of a Mexican jungle, complete with a pyramid and a smoking volcano, on their left.  Still holding her hand in his, the spaceman lifted it to his lips and kissed it softly.  He looked over her hand and into her eyes with a seductive smolder.   She returned his gaze with equal intensity.  Her scheme was working.

The boat then traveled through an archway, and scenes of Mexico featuring characters from the classic Disney film _The Three Caballeros_ came to life on either side.  Once they were safely ensconced in this tunnel, and the music and dialogue of the ride became louder, Jessie knew privacy was theirs.

“Say it, Buzz, please?” she requested breathily. 

The Space Ranger raised an eyebrow in understanding.  He released her hand and leaned in close, his lips a mere fraction of an inch from her ear.

“Mi florecilla del desierto,” he purred.  Jessie let out a little gasp as currents of electricity surged through her stuffing.  He slowly yet passionately trailed delicate kisses down her neck from her ear to her collar.

“Mmm Buzz,” she murmured, aware even in the heat of the moment that they weren’t completely alone, as there were boats with passengers both ahead of and behind them.   Fortunately, the ride’s soundtrack obscured any noise coming from their boat. 

The space toy raised a hand to caress her face and guided her ever so slightly until their lips met hungrily.  The couple had spent hardly any time alone since they arrived, and they felt it.  Her hands rested on his chest plate as their kiss deepened, succumbing to the release of pent-up frustration their lack of privacy had caused.  Buzz gently leaned her backward onto the bench seat.

They weren’t aware how much time had passed until a vaguely familiar sound caught Buzz’s attention.  He sat up, concerned.

“Didn’t we hear that song once before?”

“I dunno,” Jessie replied, raising herself slightly.  “Don’t worry about it, Buzz.  C’mere—”

“No, Jessie.  I’m positive we’ve heard it before.  We can’t be going around a second time!”     

“What?” she bolted upright.  “Woody’s gonna kill us!”  She nervously smoothed her hair and plopped her hat back on her head.

“It’ll be okay,” Buzz soothed, as he noticed two audioanimatronic figures, not unlike those in it’s a small world, point at them and snicker.  He cringed as he realized what they must have seen.  

The couple found no amusement in the happy antics of Donald and his amigos; instead, they nervously awaited the consequences that faced them at the end of the ride.  When they arrived at the unloading platform they exited the boat and hurried up the exit queue to find Woody, Dolly, and Bullseye waiting at the top of the ramp.  Dolly and Bullseye looked uneasy.  Woody was simply irate. 

“Where have you been?  Dolly and Bullseye have been back for at least ten minutes!  You rode it twice, didn’t you?”

Buzz attempted to calm his friend.  “I’m sorry, Woody, we lost track of the time.  We didn’t mean to—“

“Lost track of the time?” the cowboy shouted.  “Doing what, exactly?  Never mind, I don’t want to know.  We’ll discuss this when we get back to the hotel – IF we get back to the hotel.”  He led the group of toys through the marketplace, up the ramp, and back out into the night air.  Once they had descended the staircase, he stopped and turned to the others. 

“We’re gonna have to run if there’s any chance of catching the Monorail.  Dolly, you’ll have to ride Bullseye, there’s no way you can keep up.”

“Ride?” she gasped.  “I don’t know how to ride a horse!” 

“There's a first time for everything.  Bullseye?”  Woody waved the toy horse over and he knelt down.  Dolly hesitantly mounted the saddle and grasped its horn as he rose to his feet.

“Ready?” Woody asked. 

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”  Dolly winced and tightened her grip as the group set off running, the ragdoll bouncing along and holding on for dear life as Bullseye galloped beside Woody, Buzz, and Jessie, retracing their steps back through Future World as fast as their legs would carry them.   

Bonnie’s toys swerved around Spaceship Earth, towards the exit, and under the turnstiles, only to see the Monorail already sitting at its boarding platform up ahead.  Panic-stricken, they quickened their pace and felt as if their legs were made of lead as they tried to run even faster to reach the vehicle before it pulled away.  Up the ramp they scrambled, until they arrived at the top just as the open doors were beginning to move.  They launched themselves with all their might and tumbled into one of the cars just as the doors slid closed.    

The five friends slowly climbed up onto the bench seats and sat in silence, not wanting to voice their anxiety about the situation.  Jessie slouched down and rested her head on Buzz’s shoulder, dreading the confrontation that was bound to happen once Bonnie left for the day, and the Space Ranger extended an arm around her for comfort.       

It felt like an eternity until the Monorail pulled into the station of the Ticket and Transportation Center.  As soon as the doors opened, the toys raced down the ramp and backtracked their route from earlier in the evening.  They found the Resort Monorail station with little trouble, however, when they arrived there was no Monorail in sight.  Woody looked at the watch around his waist and at the ever-lightening horizon, then back to the other toys.

“We can’t wait to see if a Monorail shows up.  We’re gonna have to walk it.”

“Walk?” Jessie cried.  “Are you crazy?  How?”

“We’ll follow the track,” the cowboy stated, as he gazed off in the distance.  “It’s wide enough for us to balance on, and I can see the Magic Kingdom from here, so we know we’re going in the right direction.  It’s not like there’s any other choice.  We have to get back before Bonnie wakes up.”

“I agree with Woody,” Buzz concurred.   “I think it’ll work.  We have to move fast, though, before another Monorail comes.  Dolly, can you ride Bullseye again?”

“On that skinny rail?” the ragdoll wavered.  “O-okay.”  

Woody was first to size up the distance and leap onto the rail, landing safely with only a little wobble.  Buzz was next, and his Space Ranger precision didn’t fail him as he jumped and landed with ease.  Jessie hopped gracefully onto the concrete beam, followed by Bullseye and Dolly, the ragdoll clutching tightly to the horse’s neck.

The five toys set off down the track, stealthily, speedily, yet cautiously on the narrow surface, not looking down for fear the sight of the distance to the ground would shake their nerve.  They rounded the first left turn approaching the Contemporary Resort and were faced with the decision to exit there or at the Magic Kingdom station, which they already knew their way around.  As they followed the track inside the Contemporary Resort, and saw that they would have to maneuver through hallways and other public spaces, they chose to continue on to the Magic Kindgom.   

Another left turn, and the familiar platform of the Magic Kingdom was finally in sight.  Bonnie’s toys began to breathe easier as it seemed their trials were over.  Then, a rumbling sound from behind them caught them off guard.

“What was that?” questioned Jessie, her voice full of worry.

The toys paused and turned, only to see their fears realized in the form of a bright headlight, gaining on them, growing closer and larger every minute.  Their eyes widened in horror.   Woody screamed.   

“RUN!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note about World Showcase – please know I don’t mean to represent any of the countries who have pavilions at Epcot in a stereotypical way. Any descriptions are of features actually at the park –architectural styles and cultural elements that are easily recognized by people around the world. 
> 
> In case you were wondering, Jessie’s friend in the Canada pavilion is a nod to my favorite literary fictional character – Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables. Although I haven’t seen them in a while, you used to be able to buy all sorts of Anne dolls in the Canadian shops at Epcot.


	9. Disagreements

Brighter.  Closer.  Bonnie’s toys were well aware of the danger they were in as their shadows on the track became more defined, the Monorail’s headlight seemingly right on their heels.  They ran as swiftly as their little legs would allow, even though keeping their balance became increasingly difficult as the rail vibrated with the weight and force of the fast-approaching vehicle. 

Fortunately, only a few yards stood between the toys and the Magic Kingdom station, which they recognized from earlier that night.  When the entrance to the platform came into view, Woody shouted instructions to the others.  

“There’s the station!  As soon as we’re close enough, jump!” 

Once they had cleared the railing along the outer edge, the five friends hurled themselves with all their might onto the concrete platform and through an open gate.  They tumbled into the shadows mere seconds before the Monorail coasted into the station and came to a halt.  The toys sat up and looked around them, making sure they were all still in one piece.

“Is everyone present and accounted for?” Buzz questioned as he stood and brushed himself off.  He noticed Dolly wasn’t next to Bullseye.  “Where’s Dolly?”

“Over here!”   The rag doll emerged from behind a column, unharmed.   “I got thrown.  That’s the last time I go horseback riding.” 

Reassured that no one had been injured, the group raced down the exit ramp and followed the same pathway back to the Contemporary Resort that they had traveled before.  The sun was rising in the early morning sky, and each one hoped that they weren’t already too late. 

The toys quickly ascended the hair dryer cord that still hung from the balcony railing, and panicked when they reached the top and heard the shrill beeping of the Andersons’ alarm clock going off through the bedroom door.  Jessie scrambled to open the door handle, while Buzz and Woody yanked the cord free from the railing and hastily stashed the hair dryer back behind the curtain before shutting the door.  The five friends hurdled onto the bed and fell motionless next to Bonnie, just as Mrs. Anderson shuffled sleepily into the kitchen to brew her morning coffee and rouse her daughter.  Although the toys were relieved to have made it back safely, they knew all too well that it had been a dangerously close call.   

The moment they settled into the places Bonnie had left them in the night before, the toys fell asleep.  Not even the commotion of the Anderson family’s morning preparations managed to disturb them; they only heard the occasional distant mumblings about maps and parks and tickets as they drifted in and out of consciousness.  The exhausted toys slept long after Bonnie and her family left, completely spent from their traumatizing experience, both emotionally and physically.  When they finally wakened in the late afternoon, it was with a sense of dread, knowing that a confrontation about the previous night’s events was imminent. 

Woody was the first to rise.  The cowboy was too livid to sleep any longer.  He sat on the bed, arms crossed, scowling down at the couple sleeping soundly next to him, waiting for any sign that they were stirring.  He didn’t miss when his sister’s eyes opened just a slit, then closed again in a vain attempt to feign sleep.

“Oh, no you don’t,” he snapped at her.  “You’re getting up and we’re talking about this, NOW.  Both of you.”  He nudged Buzz’s shoulder and the Space Ranger sat up groggily.   Jessie sat up as well and stared nervously down at the bed sheets, before reaching for her braid and tugging at it instinctively.

“Buzz, Jessie, what were you thinking?  No – you _weren’t_ thinking, that’s the problem!”   The cowboy waved his arms furiously as he reprimanded the couple.   Awakened by the outburst, Dolly and Bullseye looked on warily at the quarrel erupting in front of them. 

“I expect this sort of thing from _you_ ,” Woody pointed accusingly at Jessie, and her jaw dropped before her face twisted into an expression of disgust.  “But you, Buzz, you’re supposed to be the responsible one!  We almost didn’t make it back in time.  We almost ruined EVERYTHING!  How could you let yourself get carried away when so much was at stake?”

“Woody, let me explain!” Buzz argued.  “It’s not Jessie’s fault.  It was the music – the Spanish –” 

The cowboy quickly interrupted his friend.  “No, Buzz!  You should have known better than to let something like that happen, Spanish Mode or not.  Jessie, you had no business taking foolish chances and doing I-don't-wanna-know-what with Buzz when we were so short on time already.  You could have gotten us all killed with your carelessness!”

" _I_ coulda got us all killed?  It was YOU who wanted to walk on the rail!" she countered.

"I didn't WANT to, but you didn't give us much of a choice, did you?!  I was the only one making sure we got back in time, but you just _had_ to keep running off when I told you not to.  You put all of us in danger – especially Bullseye.  It was far riskier for him to run on that rail than the rest of us.  What if we hadn't made it back and Bonnie didn't have her toys?  What then, Jessie?  What you did was irresponsible and… and SELFISH!”

At that final insult, the defiant fire in Jessie’s eyes dimmed and her countenance fell in defeat.  Buzz saw his cowgirl’s pained appearance and intervened.   

“Now hold on a minute, Woody, there’s no need to be so hard on Jessie.  It was an accident.  She never intended for us to ride the boat twice.”

“Accident or not, it was a stupid mistake that should never have happened, and it can’t happen again.  So, that’s it.”  Woody’s arms sliced through the air in a gesture of finality.  “Nobody is going anywhere else for the rest of the vacation.” 

Faces around the cowboy filled with shock, and Jessie pleaded with her brother.  “B-but what about Hollywood Studios?  We were gonna go there tonight—“

“NO!”  He cut her off, her pleas falling on deaf ears.  “No Hollywood Studios.  No more parks at all.  NOTHING but staying at our own resort where we belong.”

“That ain’t fair, Woody!” she cried desperately.  “We’re only here two more nights!  We may never get back here!  Are you sayin’ you’re gonna keep us locked up against our will?” 

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.  It’s for your own good.  You obviously can’t be trusted.” 

Jessie’s eyes widened in disbelief that her brother would be so unforgiving.   She could feel the sorrow and hopelessness welling up inside of her, choking her.  Before she could give Woody the satisfaction of witnessing her break down as a result of his tirade, she scooted to the edge of the bed and jumped down. 

“Jessie, wait!”  Buzz called after his girlfriend, but she just wanted to be alone.  She stormed off towards the balcony, opened the door, and slammed it behind her. 

Once outside, away from the view of her friends, the cowgirl burst into tears, completely inconsolable.  She climbed up to sit on one of the patio chairs and pulled her legs tightly to her chest, burying her face in her knees to muffle her sobs.

Buzz looked after Jessie sadly, before turning to Woody.

“She feels bad enough about what happened, you know.”

“She sure didn’t act like it,” the cowboy muttered. 

“Of course she didn’t with the way you went after her.  What was that all about, Woody?  Sure, it was a close call, but we’re fine.  You didn’t have to be so harsh.”

“Yes, I did, Buzz.  Jessie doesn’t understand the severity of what she did.  What if Bonnie had lost all her toys?  What if we—“

“What if we lost each other?”  Buzz asked gently.  He saw the ire in his friend’s eyes start to fade.  “Woody, we’ve all been through a lot, we both know that.  But sometimes you have to take some chances and live a little.  This trip has been something most toys never get to experience.  You can’t stop enjoying life for fear of what you might lose.”

“Come on Potsie, can’t you reconsider?”  Dolly interjected cautiously.  “You know we’ll all be extra careful from here on out.” 

“I’m sorry, Dolly, I can’t,” replied Woody regretfully, but still holding his ground.  

Buzz sighed.  He realized that there was no use in trying to get Woody to change his mind, at least not for now.  The Space Ranger leapt down off the bed and walked to the balcony door to find Jessie sitting on the big patio chair, still hugging her knees, staring blankly in the direction of the Magic Kingdom in the distance.  He watched her pensively, wishing there was some way he could ease her disappointment and heartbreak.   Suddenly, he spotted Bonnie’s maps balancing on the edge of the ottoman where she’d left them that morning. 

Thoughts began swirling through Buzz’s mind.  Woody had said no more parks; but there were other resorts close by, and he had said nothing about avoiding those.  The Space Ranger reached up for the maps and started leafing through them, setting aside the park maps until he uncovered the one he needed.  He studied the locales that surrounded Seven Seas Lagoon, and soon found the one he had noticed back at the Andersons’ home, before they even left for their vacation.  The one that seemed to jump out at him every time he opened the maps.  The one that had given him ideas so crazy he didn’t know if there was any way he could possibly make them happen in two nights’ time.  Despite how much of a long shot his scheme was, Buzz realized that this was the perfect way to turn the vacation around for Jessie, to make it something she’d never forget, just like she wanted.  But if he was ever going to make it work, he’d need all the help he could get.  And he’d have to get Woody out of his bad mood first.

The Space Ranger scanned the room and saw that Woody was still on Bonnie’s bed, lounging and watching television with Dolly and Bullseye.  He took a deep breath, approached the bed, and scaled the side of the frame.

“Woody, can we talk?” he asked with trepidation, not sure if his friend’s anger had cooled. 

The cowboy sat up, visibly calmer now that he had said his piece.  “Sure.”

“Look, I can’t tell you how sorry I am about what happened,” the space toy began.  “But I feel terrible for Jessie too.  This vacation – being here – it means so much to her.  I hate to see her so disappointed—“

Woody interrupted.  “I meant what I said about no more parks, Buzz.”

“I know, and I wasn’t going to ask about the parks.  I wasn’t even going to ask about tonight.  But the other resorts, along the Monorail path?  I’d like to take her there, tomorrow night.  I swear that we will be back before Bonnie wakes up.”

“I dunno.  I still think it would be best if we all stayed put.” 

“I will take her out to enjoy one more night here without your permission if I have to,” the Space Ranger stated matter-of-factly.  “But I’d rather have your blessing.  And I really could use your help.  Please, Woody, as a friend, and a brother?  This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” 

“I just don’t see what’s so important.  Why on earth would you want to go to a different resort?  What’s there that you can’t do here?”

“I’ll show you.”  Buzz hopped off the bed and retrieved the resort map from the stack on the floor.  He returned to join the others and show them exactly what he had discovered.

“I want to take her here, to the Grand Floridian,” he pointed.  “It’s only two Monorail stops away.  But there’s more.  Dolly, I’d like you to see this too.  We have to speak quietly – I want it to be a surprise, and I don’t know if Jessie can hear us.”

The rag doll sat up and moved over to join Buzz and Woody.  Buzz indicated the places on the map where he wanted to take Jessie, and explained what his plan entailed. 

“So, will you help me?” he asked earnestly, his eyes full of hope.  “It would mean the world to me – and to Jessie too, I’m sure.”

“I’m in!” Dolly enthusiastically agreed.  

Woody looked up and smiled.  “Of course I will.  But we’ll have to make her think I’m still mad, otherwise it’ll never work.”   

The light shining through the picture window was growing red with the setting sun, and the toys knew there was little time to prepare before Bonnie and her family would be back from the parks.  Woody noticed Buzz glimpse yet again in the direction of the door.

“Go, take care of Jessie,” he told his friend.  “Dolly and I will handle things from here.”

Buzz leapt down from the bed and walked to the balcony door, then jumped up to grasp the handle and nudged it open before descending to the floor.  Out on the balcony, Jessie still sat forlornly on the patio chair, knees drawn up, chin on knees, her gaze fixed on the castle.

“Hey, cowgirl,” he called out softly.

She glanced over at him briefly, then turned back to her view.  He climbed up onto the chair with her and settled in, opening his arms widely.  “C’mere,” he invited her into his embrace.

Jessie flung herself into her boyfriend’s arms and buried her face in his chest, releasing the emotions that were on the surface in heaving sobs.  Buzz alternated between smoothing her hair and caressing her back soothingly, allowing her to cry it out.  

“Oh, Buzz.  It’s all ruined!  Only two more days, an’ we’ll probably never get back here again!  There was so much more I wanted to see, and now we’ll be cooped up in this hotel room.  I never meant for anythin’ to go wrong, or to put anyone in danger, ‘specially Bullseye!  This trip was s’posed to be somethin’ special that we’d never forget, and now it’s over.  And it’s all my fault!”

“None of this is your fault, Jess,” he asserted, “so don’t you worry any more about that.  And we’ve had a great vacation so far, haven’t we?”  Buzz rested his chin lightly against her head.  “It’s not too late, we can make the most of the time we have left.  Woody might calm down by tomorrow, and we’ve got one more night after tonight.”

As much as she wanted to be, the cowgirl wasn’t convinced.  “There ain’t no changin’ Woody’s mind,” she replied bitterly.   “He’s too stubborn – he’s the selfish one.” 

“Don’t give up hope yet, Jessie.  Let’s see what tomorrow brings.  I’ll do everything I can to turn things around.”   He kissed her forehead.   “I’ll make it all better.”

The cowgirl looked up at her boyfriend and couldn’t help but smile, albeit weakly, when she saw the love in his eyes.   She repositioned herself with her legs across his lap and her head on his shoulder, and he encircled his arms tightly around her.   The couple sat there in the silence, as the skies became darker and Jessie’s sniffles quieted to more regular breathing. 

Before long, the first colorful sparks of the Magic Kingdom fireworks lit up the sky.  While Buzz and Jessie sat and watched the show, still snuggled together, the Space Ranger’s focus shifted from the sky to the cowgirl doll sitting next to him.  He reached a hand up and placed it on Jessie’s cheek to turn her head towards him tenderly.  Her eyes brightened when she realized what Buzz was going to do and she quickly closed the gap. Their lips met in a slow, sweet kiss and Jessie put an arm around Buzz’s neck to bring them closer.  

The conclusion of the fireworks signaled that the Andersons would soon return.  Buzz and Jessie dropped down from the patio chair and went back inside, heading straight for Bonnie’s bed, where Woody, Dolly, and Bullseye were waiting for them. 

“I’m sorry, Jessie,” Woody apologized, as they settled in for the night.  “I hope you’ll understand that my decision is for the best.”

At the sound of her brother’s voice, the anguish from their earlier disagreement was renewed for the cowgirl.  “I’m sorry too, Woody,” she responded dejectedly.  “But I just wanna go to sleep now.” 

Soon a very tired Anderson family arrived at their suite and rushed through their bedtime routine.  Bonnie was dressed in her nightgown and tucked into bed, and her parents turned out the lights and shut their bedroom door. 

Jessie had been the first to drift off to sleep, drained from her upsetting day.  Once they were sure the family was asleep as well, Buzz, Woody, and Dolly slid stealthily down from the bed and slipped out the balcony door.  Buzz helped Woody anchor the hair dryer and climbed up on a chair to make sure his friends had a safe landing.  When they reached the ground, Woody looked up and gave Buzz a thumbs up, and the Space Ranger watched the cowboy and rag doll run off into the darkness to set his plan in motion.  

With nothing left to do but wait, Buzz went back to bed.  Jessie, sensing his presence next to her, cuddled against him in her slumber.  Bullseye, who had curled up next to the cowgirl, wanting to help comfort her in any way he could, now slept beside her, his legs twitching in a dream.  Buzz, on the other hand, lay awake and restless, unable to fall asleep.  After a while, the space toy wriggled free of his girlfriend’s embrace and walked over to the picture window, in an attempt to calm his jitters.  He hopped up onto the windowsill and looked out at the bright lights of the Magic Kingdom, wondering how Woody and Dolly were doing in carrying out his scheme.  What he had in mind was far more daring than anything else they had attempted their entire vacation, but Buzz was determined.  He wasn’t going to let this chance pass him by.

Hours later, Buzz was roused from dozing on the bed by the click of a turning handle and the faint creak of an opening door. 

Woody summoned him from the doorway.  “Psst, hey Buzz, can you help me get this dryer back in?”

The Space Ranger deftly slipped his arm free from underneath a sleeping Jessie, and silently went to help the cowboy with his task.  Once they were back inside, Buzz looked at his best friend anxiously, almost afraid to ask how the night had gone. 

“Well?”

Woody recognized Buzz’s concern and smiled sympathetically.  “You’re good to go, buddy,” he answered, patting him on the shoulder.

Buzz grinned widely and exhaled in relief.  His plan was well underway, and now his mission was to contain his excitement so the fantastic surprise wouldn’t be spoiled for Jessie.  Nothing was going to stop him from making their trip the most memorable ever. 


	10. The Surprise

Buzz was nervous.

He hadn’t been nervous around Jessie for a long time – over a year, in fact.   Ever since they declared their love for each other, there really was no need to be.  They had made it through all their awkward “firsts” as a couple rather quickly – they already knew each other so well, there was no reason to be hesitant – and had settled into the kind of comfortable familiarity that meant-to-be couples share.   

But now, the Space Ranger lay awake on Bonnie’s bed and stared at the ceiling, his mind racing and plastic heart pounding.  In the early-morning hours since Woody and Dolly had returned, he hadn’t been able to sleep.   He felt the weight of Jessie lying next to him, her head nuzzled against his shoulder as she slept, an ever-present reminder of how much was at stake in his plans for the coming night.

His thoughts were interrupted by the beeping of the alarm clock in the next room.  Before long, Mrs. Anderson approached Bonnie’s bed and rubbed the little girl’s arm to waken her.   

“Morning, sunshine,” she said, as her daughter rolled over and blinked her tired eyes.  “It’s our last day here, and it’s your pick.  We can go to whatever park you want.”

“Magic Kingdom,” answered Bonnie drowsily.  “Can’t we go anywhere tomorrow?”

“Only breakfast in the morning, and maybe a quick look in the shops.  The bus takes us to the airport at 10 o’clock, so I’m afraid we won’t have time for much else.  But we still have today, so let’s squeeze every last bit of magic out of it,” her mother added with a smile.   

The little girl roused herself, hurried to gather her clothes, and rushed to the bathroom to get ready, while her parents did the same in their room.  Soon she emerged, wearing her beloved Rapunzel dress, and began to add to her outfit all the accessories she had acquired over the past several days.  Her Mickey ear hat went on her head first, followed by a lanyard full of trading pins around her neck and a fanny pack around her waist, which kept her autograph book and camera close at hand. 

Mr. Anderson looked at his daughter and chuckled at her touristy appearance.  “Got enough gear there, Trouble?”

His wife chided him gently.  “Don’t tease, she looks just fine.  That’s what vacation’s all about.” 

The family gathered their bags for the day and headed out the door, and as soon as the Andersons were safely down the hall, Bonnie’s toys sat up.  That is, all but Jessie.  While Woody, Dolly, and even Bullseye stood and hopped off the side of the bed to stretch their legs, the cowgirl rolled over onto her side and stared sadly toward the window.  Buzz noticed she wasn’t joining the others and went to check on her.

“Jess, aren’t you getting up?” he asked, resting a hand on her waist and leaning over her.

“What’s the point?” she sighed.  “There ain’t nothin’ to do but sit around here all day.  I just wanna sleep.”

The television clicked on and a channel featuring not-to-be-missed Disney World attractions blared across the screen.   Jessie groaned and buried her head under a pillow.

Buzz lifted the pillow’s edge.   “Get out from under there,” he prodded gently.  “Don’t give up just yet.  I have an idea.  Maybe I can talk to Woody and get him to lighten up a little.”      

Jessie sat up and looked at her boyfriend skeptically.  “C’mon Buzz, you know it ain’t gonna work.” 

“Don’t you trust me?” 

“Course I trust ya, but this is Woody we’re talkin’ about.  He’s as stubborn as a mule.”

“Just let me try, okay?”  The Space Ranger kissed her on the cheek and went off to talk to his best friend.  

Jessie had no suspicions, as she curled up on the bed and tried to make the best of what she perceived to be a bad situation, that Buzz and Woody were going out onto the balcony to have a completely different conversation that what she was envisioning.  Woody hadn’t yet been able to fill Buzz in on the details he and Dolly had worked out for that evening, and they needed to finalize their plans safely out of the cowgirl’s earshot.

Dolly, realizing that Jessie should be distracted while the men had their private discussion, tossed the remote up onto the bed and popped up herself behind it.  Bullseye followed her, and the two toys went to keep the mopey redhead company.

“Here,” Dolly handed her the remote with a sympathetic smile.  “I don’t care what we watch.” 

Jessie thanked her, and they sat together, flipping channels until the three toys decided on a movie.  It wasn’t long until Buzz and Woody returned from the balcony, in the midst of a mock argument.  Jessie bolted upright and listened intently, while Dolly smirked at the two friends’ attempt at acting.

“Please, Woody!  It’s our last night.  Be reasonable!” Buzz urged.

“I’m afraid not, Buzz.  Not after what happened.”  Jessie’s face fell as her hopes were seemingly dashed yet again.

“What if we stayed at the resorts around the lagoon and didn’t even go to the parks?” suggested the Space Ranger.  

“Well,” the cowboy relented, after a contemplative pause, “I suppose I could allow that.  But only if you promise to be back with time to spare.  We leave here in the morning, so you can’t try anything risky.”

“Thanks, Woody.  You won’t regret it.  I promise.”

The two friends joined the others on the bed.  Jessie threw her arms around Buzz joyfully once he sat down beside her.

“Thanks a heap, Woody!” she called out to her brother, as the cowboy settled in to watch television between Bullseye and Dolly.          

“Pricklepants would be impressed,” the rag doll kidded under her breath.  Woody looked askance at her and smirked. 

“So, where are we gonna go, Buzz?” Jessie pressed, barely able to contain her excitement. 

“Leave it to me, cowgirl,” the space toy grinned.  “It’s a surprise.” 

Jessie’s spirits immediately lifted at the prospect of getting to go out one more time on their vacation.  The five toys spent the remainder of the day relaxing on the bed, laughing at television shows and reliving the adventures they had shared in the parks.   When the nightly fireworks started, they gathered on the balcony to watch them together one final time. 

The routine that the toys had grown accustomed to soon played out, with a weary family returning from the park and tucking Bonnie into bed as quickly as possible.  Buzz grew anxious when the little girl’s parents stayed up longer than expected, gathering things for their departure in the morning.  But it didn’t take long before they gave into their exhaustion and decided the rest could wait, much to the Space Ranger’s relief.

Buzz and Jessie carefully slipped out from under the covers and shimmied down the side of the bed.  Woody followed them, under the guise of wanting to see them off.  He still had to convincingly play the part of a strict older brother.  The three toys retrieved the hair dryer, opened the balcony door, and stepped outside.

“Be back on time,” Woody reminded them sternly as they secured the electrical cord.

Buzz held on to the cord with one hand and saluted with the other.  “You have my word, cowboy.”

The couple climbed up and over the railing, then waved up to Woody when they safely reached the ground.  He returned the wave, before scurrying back to the doorway to summon the others with a soft whistle.  In no time the trio of toys was trailing only a few steps behind Buzz and Jessie, trying their best to conceal themselves in the shadows. 

“Where are we goin’?” asked the cowgirl merrily, as they ambled hand-in-hand toward the Magic Kingdom.

“I told you, it’s a surprise.”

“Oooh!  Are we gonna go see the horses at the fort?”

 _‘Blast!’_ the Space Ranger cursed to himself.  He had forgotten that Jessie wanted to visit the stables too.  Not even Buzz Lightyear could make all her dreams come true in such a short amount of time. 

“I’m sorry, Jess, it’s not the horses.  But I promise that what I have planned is even better than horses.”

“Then did’ja find us another dance party to go to?” 

“It’s not dancing.”

“Oh.  Okay, well, then is it—“

“Just go with it, Jessie,” Buzz chuckled.   “You’ll find out soon enough.”

When they reached the Magic Kingdom, they veered to the left and traveled up the path to the Monorail platform.  Jessie was puzzled.

“We gotta ride to where we’re goin’?”  She raised an eyebrow and looked at him incredulously.  “Woody would not be happy ‘bout this.   C’mon Buzz, tell me!”

“I’m not telling, so stop asking,” he laughed at his girlfriend, who was on the verge of a tantrum.  “But you’re cute all worked up about it.”  She sighed, flustered.

The toys had only a short wait before the Monorail coasted into the station.  Buzz and Jessie darted into a car and hopped up onto a seat, while Woody, Dolly, and Bullseye did the same only a few cars back.  In moments the vehicle lurched into motion and began its journey around the lagoon.  First they traveled through the bright and colorful Contemporary Resort, then past the tranquil beachside Polynesian Resort, before reaching their destination in the form of the ornate, Victorian-style Grand Floridian. 

“This is our stop,” Buzz stated, as the Monorail slowed.  He slid off the seat and reached up to help Jessie down. 

“You sure you won’t tell me where we’re goin’?”

“Nope.”

The couple followed the staircase leading down from the Monorail platform and walked along a winding walkway that bordered the lagoon.  The night was cool and clear, the brilliant moonlight reflecting off the glassy surface of the lake, and the two strolled in silence, fingers entwined, enjoying the serene moment. 

Buzz felt anything but serene as they drew nearer to the location of the surprise.  Jessie, however, had given up on trying to get an answer from her boyfriend, and had decided instead to just relish this alone time with him, regardless of what his plan might entail.  When they came to a bridge edged with ornate white railings, and Buzz led her across it, the cowgirl expected nothing more than a closer look at the shore. 

They passed under an archway and suddenly found themselves in a private spot near an elegant, white building in the same vintage style as the resort hotel nearby.  Buzz took a deep breath before holding even tighter to his girlfriend’s hand and dropping to one knee.  Jessie watched as Buzz knelt, and her emerald eyes widened.    

“Marry me, Jessie.  Tonight.  Right here, right now.” The cowgirl stood in shock, a grin slowly forming on her lips as he spoke.  “You said you wanted this vacation to be something special, something that you’d never forget.  Well, what do you say?”  His eyes shone with a mixture of hope and fear, as he waited what seemed an eternity for her response.

“Course I will!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him joyfully.  Elation flooded the Space Ranger’s features.  “But where?  How?”

“This is the Wedding Pavilion,” he explained, as he stood and guided her toward the building’s entrance.  “I discovered this place on the map back at Bonnie’s before we left.  Last night, while you were sleeping, Woody and Dolly helped me plan everything.”

“Woody?” she gasped in disbelief, as Buzz pushed open the unlocked door and they were welcomed by the cowboy on the other side.

“Hey, Jess,” he addressed his sister before turning to Buzz.  “So, I take it she said yes?”  The smiles on the couple’s faces gave him all the answer he needed.  “Follow me.  We can’t turn too many lights on, because people might see, so I hope candlelight is okay.”

The toys entered an octagonal chapel with a vaulted ceiling that soared high above the diminutive toys.  Low-lying candles provided the light-colored room with the illumination it needed, without giving away the toys’ presence.  Wooden pews lined either side of the center aisle that led to the altar, and tall, arched windows surrounded the perimeter.  Behind the altar, through the largest window of them all, Cinderella Castle could be seen gleaming in the distance. 

Jessie took it all in.  “It’s amazin’!”

When they reached the back pew, Dolly stepped up to them. 

“Everything’s ready.   Get to your place at the altar, Ranger.  You too, cowboy.”  She took Jessie by the arm.  “I’ve got this.”

As Buzz and Woody walked up the aisle towards the altar, Dolly took Jessie into the back corner of the chapel.  The cowgirl was surprised to see Rapunzel, who she had met three nights earlier, standing there waiting for her, wedding dress in hand.  Bullseye and Max galloped back and forth behind them.

“Hi, Jessie,” the princess greeted her cordially.  “When Woody and Dolly came to the park last night, they told us about the wedding, and we just had to be here.  Besides, I thought you could use this.”

Jessie took the dress from the blonde doll.  It was a soft, shimmery white, with short puffed sleeves, fitted bodice, and long, full skirt.  Golden embroidery embellished it further.  The cowgirl paused, admiring the opulent gown, and Dolly snapped her into action.

“Well, don’t just stand there staring, put it on!” 

Jessie unfastened the back and wriggled into the garment over her permanent western clothing, her soft cloth body helping her squeeze into a dress that had been made for a slightly smaller doll.  Rapunzel secured it closed for her and Jessie turned around so the other girls could see the result.

“Perfect!” Rapunzel squealed.  “I think it looks better on you.  It’s all wrong with my hair.”

“Hair!” blurted out Dolly.  “We should do something with your hair.  Sit down – carefully!”

Jessie sat, cautious not to wrinkle the dress, as Dolly untied the yellow bow and loosened her braid.  Rapunzel stood in front and directed the styling as the cowgirl’s yarn hair fell loose across her shoulders. 

“Definitely down,” the princess stated as she walked up closer to the bride-to-be, who was cringing in the midst of her makeover.  “But maybe pull it back in the front.”  Rapunzel gathered the strands of yarn above Jessie’s ears and handed them to Dolly, who then held the style in place.  “Yes!  That’s it!  It’ll look perfect with the veil.  Can you tie it in place with her ribbon?”

“Veil?” questioned Jessie uneasily.

“Of course,” Rapunzel replied with a smile.  She picked up a long, sheer veil attached to a tiny crown.  “You have to have a veil.”

* * *

While Jessie was being transformed into a bride at the rear of the chapel, Woody and Buzz made their way to the altar to take their places as groom and best man.  As they walked along, Buzz noticed Flynn Rider lounging in the front pew.   The male doll waved nonchalantly to the space toy as they passed. 

At the top of the short flight of stairs that elevated the altar, the same plush Mickey Bonnie’s toys had met their first night at the Magic Kingdom waited for them and offered an explanation for his presence.

“Hiya, Buzz!  I’m sorry you don’t have any clergy, or someone more official than me to marry you,” the mouse apologized.  “But I’m afraid I’m the best we could do on such short notice.”

“I’d say you’re about as official as you can get at this place,” Buzz remarked.  “And I’m honored.”

Woody pulled a black silky ribbon out of his back pocket and handed it to Buzz.

“There’s not a whole lot we can do with that spacesuit, but at least you can have a bowtie.”

The Space Ranger fumbled clumsily with the ribbon, his plastic fingers getting tangled in the loops he was attempting to make.  Woody stepped up to give his friend a hand, and began to speak from the heart.

“I want you to know, there’s nobody I’d rather see Jessie with than you.  Not only are you my best friend, but I know you’ll look after her.”  The cowboy cast his gaze downward for a second, then looked back up at the space toy.  “Promise me, Buzz, that no matter what, you will fight for Jessie and not let anything separate you two, ever.  There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t wish I’d risked everything to rescue Bo from that yard sale.”     

“I swear, Woody,” he replied with sincerity and compassion.  “I will take care of her, always.”

Relieved, the cowboy snickered to himself as an amusing memory crossed his mind.  “Remember the time you and Jessie double dated with us, and we made you watch _When Harry Met Sally_?  Bo was certain that movie would put you two over the edge, since it had given us the kick we needed.  But you were even more tongue-tied around Jessie for at least a week after, and she could barely look you in the eye without blushing.”  He laughed more heartily this time.  “You were hopeless.”    
  
The Space Ranger buried his face in his hands.  “I was such an idiot back then.  So many years, wasted.”  
  
“No, Buzz.  Stop.  You're here now, with Jessie, and that's all that matters.”

Then Buzz was rendered speechless.

Jessie rode Bullseye sidesaddle down the center aisle, radiant in her gown and veil, her crimson hair framing her face softly.   She held a small bundle of baby’s breath in her hands – flowers which Dolly had taken out of an arrangement left over from the previous day’s wedding – as did the ragdoll, who walked in front of her as bridesmaid.  Rapunzel and Max had sneaked beneath the pews to join Flynn, just in time for the ceremony.

When Jessie reached the base of the stairs leading to the altar, Buzz went to meet her.  He tenderly grasped her waist, lifted her down from the saddle, and offered her his arm, escorting her up the three steps to the altar where Mickey waited for them.

“Toy weddings aren’t too common around here,” he began, “but the ones we’ve had have been pretty simple.  Just tell each other how you feel.   Forget we’re here, and make your vows to each other.”  Mickey looked to the bride.  “Ladies first.”

The cowgirl panicked.  She hadn’t had as much time to collect her thoughts as Buzz had.   But then, looking into her spaceman’s shining azure eyes, and holding firmly to his hands, her heart knew exactly what she needed to say.

“In all my years I never met anyone like you.  I got so used to bein’ on my own and takin’ care of myself, then you came along.  You protect me when I need protectin’, but you stand back and let me fight my own battles when I need to.  You’re the light in my darkness, and when I’m in your arms all the hurt I’ve been through seems to just disappear.   When I belonged to Emily, and even Andy, I thought that bein’ loved by a kid was the best thing in the world.  But now I know it ain’t.  Bein’ loved by you is better.  And I promise I’m gonna love you forever, and never let anyone or anything come between us.”   

Buzz stood perfectly still, his eyes fixed on Jessie’s.  Woody watched intently, expecting the cowgirl to have her old effect on his best friend at such a significant moment in their lives, and for the Space Ranger to be reduced to an awkward, nervous, stuttering mess.   But instead, Buzz took a deep breath and spoke, calmly and confidently.

“I think you know that I fell for you the instant I met you.   I was captivated by your beauty, your sense of adventure, and your spirit that remained despite all you had been through.   And I will forever regret all those wasted years, when I couldn’t gather the courage to tell you how I really felt.  I just couldn’t imagine that someone as full of life as you would want anything to do with a by-the-rules Space Ranger like me.  And now that you’re finally mine, you are my whole world, and I’m never letting another moment pass us by.  I swear that I will always be there for you, to love you, protect you, and keep us together, no matter what.”

Jessie beamed.  “To infinity and beyond?” she added.

“Yes,” Buzz agreed.   “To infinity and beyond.”

“That was swell,” Mickey cheered.  “Do you have rings?”

Woody fumbled in his back jeans pocket and pulled out a pair of tiny, silver circles.  The night before, he and Dolly had carefully searched through the necklaces hanging on racks in the Emporium, removing two links from their chains to serve as wedding bands.  

Woody gave Jessie the larger of the two rings, Buzz the smaller, and the couple lovingly slipped them on each other’s left ring fingers.  Luckily, they were a perfect fit.

“Congratulations!  You’re now husband and wife.  Go ahead, kiss your bride!”

Buzz grasped Jessie’s hand strongly and spun her around into a dramatic dip, kissing her fervently as she melted into his embrace.  The other toys looked on in happy surprise at this display of affection, spurred on not by any Spanish influences but by pure and utter bliss. 

The Space Ranger helped his bride back to standing and they descended the stairs, Woody, Dolly and Mickey following behind them.  At the bottom, all the toys paused to chat briefly before sending the newlyweds out to enjoy the rest of their night.

“I can’t thank ya enough for this – all of ya – for everything you did for Buzz and me.”  Jessie glanced at Rapunzel.  “Oh!  Your dress!  I can’t be leavin’ with this on!”

The cowgirl handed the princess doll her veil, then reached behind her neck to tug loose the closure before wiggling out of the gown.

“Jessie!” cried Buzz, appalled.

“What?  I got clothes on under this.”  She handed the dress to Rapunzel, along with her bouquet, and hugged her in appreciation and friendship.

Next, Jessie untied Buzz’s bowtie and handed it to Woody.  “I can’t believe ya had me fooled.  I was sure you were furious with me.”

“I was, but Buzz was very persuasive.”  He softened. “And I couldn’t be happier for you both.”

She grasped her brother in a bear hug, and grinned as she stepped back from him.  “Ya know, you two are brothers now.” 

“That we are,” Woody concurred, laying a hand on Buzz’s shoulder and sharing a smile with his friend.  “Now, go, enjoy your honeymoon!  But not too much.”  He smirked.  “Don’t be late.”

Buzz and Jessie bade their friends goodbye and retraced their steps across the bridge, back towards the Grand Floridian, then traveled past it in the direction of the Polynesian Resort.  Walking along the curving path, it seemed to the couple as if even the stars shimmering above them twinkled in celebration of their happiness. 

Just ahead were tall, brown hotel buildings in the Polynesian style on their right, and a beachfront along the Seven Seas Lagoon to their left.  The resort’s walkway was dimly lit with tall streetlamps, just bright enough to see where they were going.  On the sand were cabana tents, offering privacy from anyone who might be passing by or peering out of their hotel room window.

“Lookit, Buzz, we’re in Hey-way-eye!” Jessie joked.

“Ha ha ha, very funny, Jess,” Buzz deadpanned.  “I just thought that since Barbie and Ken got their Hawaiian vacation, we could have one of our own.”

The newlyweds walked out onto the beach and chose a cabana close to the water.  Buzz spotted a forgotten folded beach towel nearby and placed it on the sand for them to lie on.  Jessie stretched herself out on the towel as Buzz lay next to her on his side, propped up on one elbow.

“Now, how about this weddin’ night?” she teased, turning her head to look at him with the seductive gleam in her eye that Buzz knew all too well.  He grinned at her and gently brushed aside the strands of her “yarnful of hair” that had fallen loose from the ribbon. 

“I love you, Mrs. Lightyear.” 

“Mmmmm,” she murmured, turning on her side to face him.  “I sure do like the sound of that.”

“Mrs.” Buzz kissed her forehead.

“Jessie.”  He kissed her button nose.

“Lightyear.”  He spoke their now-shared last name breathily, his mouth hovering only a fraction of an inch from hers.  Jessie wasted no time closing the gap and capturing his lips in a passionate kiss, her arms reaching up to encircle his neck.  With that, they were lost in the moonlight, in the moment, in each other, in the promise of forever they had just shared.   

* * *

The first rays of sunlight were breaking over the horizon when Woody was wakened by the soft click of the balcony door opening.  He sat up slowly and looked in the direction of the sound to see Buzz and Jessie carefully entering the room.  The newly-wed couple tiptoed across the room and quietly scaled the side of Bonnie’s bed to join their friends, and Woody grinned at them warmly.  This time, there was no hint of mockery in the cowboy’s voice as he spoke, only the affection he felt for his family.

 “Welcome back, Lightyears.” 


	11. Home

The Anderson family rushed around their suite in preparation for their return home.  Last-minute odds and ends were thrown into luggage and drawers were checked and double-checked to make sure nothing was being left behind.  Saying their goodbyes to the room, they all paused at the window to take one final look at the beautiful view of the Magic Kingdom that they had enjoyed during their stay.  Satisfied that they had everything together, the family left with their bags and headed to the main building of the Contemporary Resort, to check out and grab some breakfast before catching their bus to the airport.

During all this activity, Bonnie’s toys slept soundly in the carry-on bag that Mrs. Anderson had carefully placed them in earlier that morning.  They continued to sleep through the long wait at the airport, the three-hour flight, and the drive back to their house. 

When they finally reached home later that night, the family unloaded their luggage and the bags of food they had picked up at Poultry Palace on the way and carried them inside.  Bonnie and her father took her carry-on bag and suitcase back to her room, and the little girl promptly sat down and started to unpack her toys.

“C’mon, Bon Bon,” Mr. Anderson tousled his daughter’s hair affectionately.  “Dinner’s gonna get cold.”

Bonnie stood, leaving the traveler toys strewn on the floor next to her luggage, and followed her father down the hall.  As soon as the coast was clear, all of Bonnie’s toys came to life, and everyone was eager to talk about the trip.

“So, how was it?”  Trixie squealed excitedly.  “Tell us everything!”

Jessie was happy to oblige.  “We went to the Magic Kingdom twice, and to Epcot!  There were toys comin’ and goin’ everywhere, and we got to go on the rides!”

“Were the rides scary?” asked Rex timidly.

“Only for Woody,” Dolly teased.  The cowboy turned his head at the sound of his name and twisted his face in annoyance.   

 _‘I am never gonna live this down,’_ he thought.   

The toys were bombarded with questions about the details of their trip, and they all answered in turn, each sharing their favorite rides and experiences.  They told the others of the friends they had made at the Magic Kingdom, and related their terrifying close call returning from Epcot. 

“There was _one_ more thing we did while we were there,” Woody hinted slyly, giving his best friend a nudge with his elbow.

“Heh, yeah,” Buzz started.  But before he could make the announcement himself, Jessie grabbed his left hand and held her own up proudly.

“We got hitched!”

Surprised faces surrounded the couple as the thrilling news sunk in.  One toy, however, was more astounded than the rest.  

“You got MARRIED?!?” Mrs. Potato Head shrieked.  “Oh!  How romantic!  But – we missed the wedding!   And you have RINGS!”  She turned to her husband.  “Why don’t _we_ have rings?  You never gave me a ring!”

Mr. Potato rolled his eyes and walked closer to Buzz.  “Welcome to married life,” he quipped sarcastically, slapping the Space Ranger on the back.  “My condolences.”

Jessie and Buzz recounted the story of their surprise wedding, and their friends listened, enthralled.   Their shower of congratulations was interrupted by the sound of footsteps in the hall, and the toys fell, inanimate, just before Bonnie and her mother entered the room. 

Mrs. Anderson set a large plastic Disney World shopping bag on Bonnie’s bed while the little girl pulled a nightgown out of her drawer and changed for bed. 

“Here’s the Mickey you picked out at the Emporium, sweetie,” she said, taking out a foot-tall plush mouse and setting it on a pillow. 

Bonnie stretched to peek in the bag.  “Where’s the set with Rapunzel and Flynn and Max?”  

“It’s in here, but that’s for your cousin, remember?  We’ll give it to her when we go visit for her birthday next month.”

“I know, but can I look at it sometime before we give it to her?  Please?”

“We’ll see,” her mother chuckled.  “We had lots of fun at Disney World, didn’t we?”  She wrapped her daughter into a warm hug. 

“I did,” Bonnie replied, returning the embrace.  “Can I stay up with you and Daddy till midnight?  It’s New Year’s Eve!”

“Not this year, you’ve had a big enough week.  But I’ll leave your door open, okay?  So you can listen to the TV for a little while.”  She kissed the young girl’s forehead.   “Good night, my Disney princess.  Don’t stay up too late.”

Alone with her toys, for the first time in nearly a week, Bonnie began to pick up those that had joined her in her travels and set them lovingly on her bed, first Dolly, then Bullseye.   

“So, did you guys have fun at Disney World too?  I hope so.”

The little girl picked up Jessie.  When her finger brushed the cowgirl doll’s hand, she noticed something unfamiliar. 

“Huh, what’s that?”  She inspected it more closely.  “A ring?”

Bonnie looked at her other toys.  She picked up Woody.  No, he didn’t have a ring, so it had nothing to do with them being from the same series.  She set him down on the bed, then reached for Buzz.   Yes!  He had a ring too!  Just like Jessie’s.

“Wait a minute, are you two married?” she asked her toys.  “I should have known!  I always thought you made a good couple.”  Unfazed by her discovery, she thought for a moment, then walked over to where her art supplies were kept and retrieved a black Sharpie marker. 

Placing the two toys in front of her, Bonnie lifted Jessie’s left boot, carefully writing “BUZZ” on it in her scrawling kindergartener handwriting.  Then she did the same to Buzz’s left foot, except branding it with “JESSIE” instead. 

“There, now you really belong to each other!  You’ll be together forever and ever!  Oh!” she cried, as an important realization struck her.  “If you’re married, you need a house!”

The imaginative girl grabbed Buzz and Jessie and carried them to her dollhouse.  “Here,” she said, reaching inside and posing them cozily together on the miniature sofa.  “This is your home now.”

Satisfied, Bonnie skipped back over to her bed and cuddled down between the sheets.  “Goodnight, toys!” she called out, and quickly drifted off to sleep, her new Mickey content in her arms.      

Once they were certain the room was still, Buzz and Jessie became animated in the spot where Bonnie had left them.  They looked at each other and smiled, delighted with their good fortune. 

“Can you believe it? We get the dollhouse!” Jessie was practically bouncing with enthusiasm.  “It’s ours.  All ours!”

Buzz hung back, admiring his new wife’s exuberance as she walked through the first floor of the dollhouse, exploring the little rooms as if she were seeing them anew.  Suddenly the Space Ranger had an idea, something he had seen in a movie once.  He crept up behind Jessie and swept her off her feet, lifting her bridal-style.

“Hey!  Whadd’ya think you’re doin’?” she giggled.   

“If I remember correctly, it’s tradition for the husband to carry his bride through the doorway of their house,” he explained.  “Well, we can’t do that right now,” he added with a mischievous grin, “but I can carry you upstairs.”

Jessie made no protest, just smirked at her husband’s boldness as he whisked her effortlessly up the stairs.   He headed straight for the largest bedroom – having sneaked into it many times before when they wanted to be alone late at night – and shut the tiny door behind them. 

* * *

Hours later, Buzz and Jessie lay cuddled on their bed, blissfully enveloped in each other’s arms.  They could faintly hear the countdown beginning on the New Year’s Eve television program that Bonnie’s parents were watching down the hall. 

“Jus’ think, if Bonnie hadn’t taken us along, all this wouldn’t have happened,” Jessie pondered.

“Best vacation ever,” he whispered. 

They kissed at the stroke of midnight, welcoming the new year as husband and wife.  And as they say in the fairytale world – the world of princesses and castles and magic that the pair had only just visited – the Lightyears knew that they would live happily ever after. 


End file.
